No more MOUs! Trump clashes with own trade chief in front of Chinese delegation

China's Vice Premier Liu He turns with U.S. Trade Representative Robert Lighthizer during a meeting with U.S. President Donald Trump in the Oval Office at the White House in Washington, U.S., February 22, 2019. [Reuters]

In trade talks between the United States and China, Memorandums of Understanding - the building blocks of what would be a historic deal - are officially out.

President Donald Trump, in an extraordinary dispute with U.S. Trade Representative Robert Lighthizer on Friday, dismissed the MOUs that have formed the outline of a potential trade pact as a waste of time, despite protests from his chief negotiator.