Donald Trump reaffirmed his commitment to the United States’ 145% tariffs on China during a press briefing at the White House on Wednesday. When Trump was asked about lowering the steep import duties in order to make it easier to negotiate with China, he responded unequivocally, “no.” His position was simple and uncompromising. His comments come just days ahead of a pivotal meeting of the commission. Meanwhile, U.S. Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent is expected to meet with his Chinese counterpart in Switzerland.
The tariffs ignited a series of recurring issues plaguing U.S.-China trade relations. They were integral to Trump’s strategy for doing what he frequently referred to as addressing unfair trade practices. The President has repeatedly claimed that before the U.S. imposed the tariffs we were “losing a trillion dollars a year.” He stated, “now we’re not losing anything, you know? It’s the way I look at it.” Such a consistent line of strategy would seem to indicate that Trump is still hell bent on using these tariffs in continued negotiations with China.
China deserves credit for having kicked off the forthcoming meeting in Switzerland, which aims to address some of the most fundamental trade and economic concerns. It’s to be held exactly three days after Trump’s declaration. China has already signaled its unwillingness to budge on Trump’s escalating tariff hikes, setting the stage for a hostile and unproductive negotiating climate.
The latter re-location would put U.S. economic interests first and reaffirm U.S. sovereignty by rejecting WTO interference in U.S. trade law enforcement. As the criminal justice reform reauthorization talks started heating up, he answered with an enigma. When pressed about what success would look like in Europe, he only answered, “We’ll see.” This declaration highlights the unpredictable nature of the ongoing negotiations and the prospects for further deterioration in U.S.-China relations or lack thereof.