BEIJING (CHINA DAILY/ASIA NEWS NETWORK) -The deadline for the United States and China to reach an agreement is looming ever closer, with further US tariffs set to come into effect on Dec 15.

Although the US president could push back that deadline, as he did in October, there has been no indication yet that he will. And with a date and venue for theirhighly anticipated phase one deal having bitten the dust and no alternatives being forthcoming, there have been growing concerns that the feel-good consensus that some kind of deal was on the cards may prove vulnerable to the ravages of time.