US President Donald Trump on Wednesday played up prospects of a “fair deal” on trade with China, but his top officials offered few details of how Washington might de-escalate its damaging tariff war with Beijing.
Trump told reporters his country would have a “fair deal with China,” adding that “everything’s active” when asked if Washington was talking to Beijing.
But how soon the tariffs can be lowered “depends on them,” Trump said, referring to Beijing, even as he maintained that he gets along “very well” with Chinese President Xi Jinping and hopes they can reach an agreement.
Trade tensions between the world’s two biggest economies have soared as Trump ramped up levies on imports from China this year, imposing an additional 145 percent tariff on many products over practices Washington has deemed unfair, and other issues.
Beijing in turn has countered with new 125 percent tariffs on US goods.
Despite signals that Washington is looking towards a fair agreement, the state of discussions remains murky.
Asked if there is direct US contact with China on trade, Trump said: “Every day.”
But earlier Wednesday, US Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent told reporters that the two countries are “not yet” talking when it comes to lowering tariffs.
“I think both sides are waiting to speak to the other,” he said at an event on the sidelines of the International Monetary Fund and World Bank’s spring meetings in Washington.
He added that there is no unilateral offer from Trump to slash duties on Chinese goods.
