The deputy-level talks between trade teams from the US and China were off to a rocky start on Monday after the US government blacklisted eight Chinese companies, including video surveillance leader Hikvision. Other companies added to the US trade blacklist, the Entity List, include Ambarella and AI companies Megvii and SenseTime.

Despite this latest development, US President Donald Trump continued to express optimism that negotiations would lead to something significant. However, Trump also stated that he would not be ready to reach a partial trade agreement. Trump’s mixed signals also included some skepticism about reaching a trade deal anytime soon, with him claiming that it is “probably unlikely” that these round of talks could make much progress.

Meanwhile. Chinese Vice Premier Liu He is expected to travel to Washington for the high-level trade talks scheduled for October 10 and 11. His team is expected to include Chinese Commerce Minister Zhong Shan, PBOC Governor Yi Gang, and Deputy Head at National Development and Reform Commission, Ning Jizhe. The US side of the trade team is expected to be attended by US Trade Representative Robert Lighthizer and US Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin.