President Donald Trump said tariffs on Chinese goods will “substantially” decrease, “but it won’t be zero” amid an ongoing trade war between the world’s two largest economies.
Trump’s remarks, made at a White House news event Tuesday, struck a softer tone after weeks of tit-for-tat tariff retaliations that set duties on most imports from China at 145%, with some as high as 245%.
“Ultimately, they have to make a deal, because otherwise they’re not going to be able to deal in the United States, and 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 said, according to The Independent. “We’re going to be setting the deal, and it will be a fair deal for everybody and it will be — I think it’s a process that’s going to go pretty quickly. It will come down substantially. But it won’t be zero.”
The Wall Street Journal reported on Wednesday that the White House is considering reducing existing tariffs on Chinese goods roughly between 50% and 65%.
Related: Imports from China now face tariffs of up to 245%, White House says
Officials in China on Wednesday signaled a willingness to engage in trade negotiations with the U.S.
“With regard to the tariff war launched by the U.S., China’s attitude is clear: We are not willing to fight and we are not afraid to fight,” Chinese foreign ministry spokesman Guo Jiakun said at a news conference, according to China Daily. “To fight, we will fight to the end; to talk, the door is wide open.”
The U.S. and China have slapped soaring tariffs on each other over the past several weeks, rocking global markets and disrupting supply chains.
The Trump administration launched its broad “reciprocal” tariff plan for about 90 U.S. trade partners April 2, including a baseline 10% tariff on trade partners, as well as 25% tariffs on certain imported vehicles and auto parts.
A few hours after the reciprocal tariffs went into effect, Trump announced he was pausing the higher tariffs, except for China.
China has imposed 125% duties on imports of U.S. goods, up from 84%. On April 4, China also began restricting exports of rare earth materials to the U.S., which are used in high-tech products such as computer chips and electric vehicle batteries.
China was the third-ranked U.S. trading partner in 2024 at $582 billion in two-way international commerce.
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