TAIPEI, Taiwan – U.S. President Donald Trump said Tuesday that recently imposed tariffs on Chinese goods will “come down substantially,” but won’t be zero, in the latest zigzag for Washington’s stance on global trade.
The U.S. and China are waging a tit-for-tat trade battle, which threatens to stunt the global economy. The U.S. imposed tariffs of 145% on Chinese imports, prompting China to retaliate with tariffs reaching 125% on American goods. The U.S. also has imposed new tariffs on most other countries.
Trump told a White House news conference that “145% is very high” and could be lowered through China-U.S. negotiations.
“It’ll come down substantially. But it won’t be zero ‒ used to be zero. We were just destroyed. China was taking us for a ride.”
“But ultimately,” Trump said, “they have to make a deal because otherwise they’re not going to be able to deal in the United States. So we want them involved, but they have to ‒ and other countries have to ‒ make a deal, and if they don’t make a deal, we’ll set the deal.”
Trump’s remarks came after comments Tuesday by Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent, who said the high tariffs are unsustainable and that he expects a “de-escalation” in the trade war between the world’s two largest economies.
“I do say China is going to be a slog in terms of the negotiations,” Bessent said, according to a transcript reviewed by The Associated Press. “Neither side thinks the status quo is sustainable.”
Trump did not say if he also thought the situation with China was unsustainable. He said the U.S. was “doing fine” with China.
“We’re going to live together very happily and ideally work together,” he said.
The tariff shock therapy, Trump has said, is aimed at encouraging a revival of American manufacturing, which fell as a share of the economy and employment over several decades of free trade and competition from production in lower-cost countries.
Any changes could take years as many American corporations have made substantial investments in overseas production. Efficient manufacturing in the U.S., like elsewhere, is reliant on components produced in other countries.
Higher tariffs could also raise costs for Americans and U.S. corporations while simultaneously lowering incomes for exporting nations.
White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt on Tuesday said more than 100 countries have approached the U.S. for trade talks and 18 have submitted proposals, but China was not among them.
Leavitt said she did not have anything to report on communications between Trump and Chinese President Xi Jinping.
Trump said last week that Washington and Beijing were in talks on tariffs and expressed confidence that the world’s two largest economies would reach a deal over the next three to four weeks. He declined to say if he had spoken to Xi.
China’s commerce ministry said it had been maintaining working-level communication with its U.S. counterparts.
Edited by Stephen Wright.
