Donald Trump during a trade meeting with Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese at the White House, discussing future tariffs on China (Photo: X | @WhiteHouse)
Donald Trump set off a ton of mingled emotions, issuing a threat to take a 155% set of tariffs to China on Chinese products if "fair" trade is not expected. This came during the president’s meeting with Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese during a White House get together to inaugurate bilateral agreements on critical minerals.
Trump's comments reflect a long-held position regarding tariffs that the former president has taken with unhindered vigor, most especially against China. "China's been very respectful of us," he mentioned, taking note that they have been putting up big money through tariffs. And he further warned that unless a fair settlement was reached with President Xi Jinping, the US tariffs could easily escalate either from the present 55% to a whopping 155%.
The implementation of such a huge tariff, according to Trump, could be effective as of November 1st, raising Chinese exports to the US to further aggravate the economic relationship between the two global giants. Trump said that the United States has already concluded deals with several countries that had exploited America in trade.
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At one point, after unleashing his tongue-in-cheek comments with regard to China making payments under the existing tariffs, he quipped that China was paying "an unbelievable amount of money" to the US is the tariffs may be lowered but Beijing must give something in return.
He maintained his position that the trade with China could indeed be level; it was only that the former one-way street nature of past agreements cannot be continued. More generally, Trump's comments reflect a view that the global trade system needs to be more equitable, with China being one of the world's largest economies and needs to contribute more to address the existing trade imbalances.
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Trump's remarks came amid growing apprehensions regarding the future of US-China relations as both face considerable geopolitical and economic issues. The timing is also relevant as US Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent has confirmed that both parties will meet in Malaysia later this week. A crucial meeting since that would be the first one-on-one talks held between Trump and Xi since Trump reappeared on the White House radar.
If the tariffs increase, and trade relations are compromised, both parties will have to navigate a fragile road so as not to further hurt their economies. Having already adopted a hardline stance, Trump's administration is bracing for a rough road ahead in the course of maintaining the state of their trade war.
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Disclaimer: This article reflects the latest developments regarding US-China trade relations and Trump’s tariff plans as reported.
