The United States has indicated that a trade agreement with its major economic competitor, China, is possible, but it firmly states that Beijing must initiate the process.
White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt informed reporters on Tuesday that President Donald Trump is open to forging a trade deal with China.
“The ball is in China’s court: China needs to make a deal with us; we don’t have to make a deal with them,” Leavitt conveyed during a press briefing, adding that Trump had personally instructed her to use this statement during an Oval Office meeting.
“China wants what we have… the American consumer, or to put it plainly, they need our money,” Leavitt asserted.
China escalated the trade tensions on Friday by increasing its tariffs on imports of US goods to 125% as a retaliatory measure against Trump’s earlier actions. Trump had effectively raised US tariffs on Chinese goods to 145% while temporarily halting planned levies on goods from other nations.
Despite expressing admiration for Chinese President Xi Jinping, neither leader has shown any signs of backing down in the increasingly intense trade war between their two countries.
“The president, again, has made it quite clear that he’s open to a deal with China. But China needs to make a deal with the United States of America,” Leavitt reiterated.
Trump has expressed optimism that something positive will emerge from the trade tensions between the world’s two largest economies. However, unlike several other countries that have responded to his tariff plans by seeking agreements with Washington, Beijing has instead increased its own tariffs on US goods and has not pursued negotiations.
