White House economic adviser Larry Kudlow clarified Monday the 90-day window for the U.S. and China to negotiate on trade will begin Jan. 1, rather than immediately.

The Jan. 1 start date gives Chinese leadership a little more time to work toward preventing President Trump from ratcheting up tariffs. Kudlow said on a press call Monday that he expects China to zero out its tariffs on auto imports from the U.S. as part of a deal.