Two U.S. senators said on Tuesday that they will decide this week whether to hold or postpone a vote on a punitive tariffs bill against China.

The bill, sponsored by Democrat Senator Charles Schumer from New York and his republican colleague Lindsey Graham from South Carolina, would impose 27.5 percent tariffs on Chinese imports if the currency dispute between the two countries is not settled.

But after the closed-door meeting with Treasury Secretary Henry Pauslon on Tuesday, the two senators said they would take a day or two to decide whether to hold a vote before Congress goes on recess at the end of the week.

Pauslon, the former Goldman Sachs CEO, paid his first visit to China last week as U.S. trade chief and President George W. Bush's special envoy. He made more than 70 trips to China as head of the investment giant.

"He's (Paulson) certainly given us some food for thought. He is optimistic he can get something done," said Schumer after the closed-door meeting.

"We are deciding all of these things over the next day or two, and we'll let you know when we've made a decision," he said.

"We're intrigued by his thoughts about where China may be going in the short term and long term," said Graham.

Some politicians in the United States have blamed the low exchange rate of Chinese currency yuan against U.S. dollar for its expanding deficit with China, which according to the Chinese customs authority, reached a new monthly high of 18.8 billion dollars in August.

The two senators had been hinting that they will push for a vote by the end of September to impose a tariff of 27.5 percent on all of China's exports to the United States unless China moves to allow a greater appreciation of the yuan.

The bill, set to vote initially in May, has been put off when Graham and Schumer finished their visit to Beijing this spring.

Source: Xinhua