WASHINGTON, DC — President Donald Trump said he is waiting for a call from Beijing to mitigate the growth of the trade war, as clocks are etched to place additional US tariffs on goods from China.
On Tuesday, after a call with South Korean representative president Han Duck So, Trump said South Korean officials were traveling to the US for trade talks.
He added that “many other countries” would like to begin economic negotiations with Washington.
“China also wants to make a bad deal, but they don’t know how to start it,” the US president wrote in a social media post. “We’re waiting for their phone call. It’s going to happen!”
But hours later, senior Trump’s aides question Beijing’s willingness to negotiate a solution to Tattart’s tariffs, suggesting there is no chance of a breakthrough in the coming days.
“They (China) have chosen to announce retaliation,” US trade representative Jamieson Greer said at a Senate committee hearing Tuesday.
“Other countries weren’t. Other countries were showing they wanted to advance reciprocity, and China wasn’t saying that.
Trump threatened to impose an additional 50% tariff on Chinese products if China does not cancel retaliation charges imposed on US products
If implemented, the new US tax would reach 104% on some Chinese products.
However, Beijing appeared to be refusing to be upset by Washington, rejecting what is called “economic bullying.”
“We Chinese are not troublemakers, but we will not flinch when trouble comes our way,” Lin Jiang, a spokesman for China’s Foreign Ministry, said Tuesday.
“Black-in, threat, and fear-in-mail are not the right way to engage with China. China will take the necessary steps to ensure that it is protected by legitimate and legitimate rights and interests.”
Lin added that if the US is determined to engage in a trade war, “China’s response will continue to end.”
Despite growing competition and tensions between the US and China, Washington and Beijing are key trading partners.
Last year, the US imported $43.89 billion into Chinese products, making China the second largest exporter after Mexico, according to US government data.
US exports to China totaled $143.5 billion in 2024.
Washington’s foreign policy Hawks have long sought to reduce their economic ties with Beijing and reduce their reliance on Chinese products.
On Tuesday, White House spokesman Caroline Leavitt used friction with China as a way to explain Trump’s strength as president.
“The US doesn’t need other countries as much as other countries need us. President Trump knows this. He is trying to use our market and our country’s leverage to the benefit of those he has pledged to represent,” Levitt said.
“Nations like China are trying to retaliate and double the abuse of American workers are making mistakes. President Trump has a steel spine and he won’t break.”
US-China relations have fostered many issues in recent years, including trade, the Taiwan situation, Beijing’s claims in the South China Sea, and the US’s continued push for China’s growing influence in the Indo-Pacific.
However, the ongoing tariff crisis between the two countries has been part of Trump’s global trade reforms, and even the closest US allies have not escaped.
Trump has announced a 10% baseline tariff on all imports into the United States in countries where the United States has a major trade obstacle.
On Tuesday, Greer portrayed the United States as a victim of an unfair international trade system that destroyed American industry.
Beyond tariffs, he denounced other countries for imposing barriers and regulations restricting US imports.
Greer said “nearly 50 countries” would approach him, discuss Trump’s trade policy and “exploring ways to achieve reciprocity.”
But Trump’s tariffs have shook global markets and sparked concerns about a surge in prices for US consumers.
However, the Trump administration argued that tariffs would ultimately force businesses to manufacture products in the US, revive the industry and create jobs.
Greer said the plan would not achieve the “overnight” objective.
“We must move away from an economy based solely on government spending and the financial sector, and we must become an economy based on producing the actual goods and services that provide jobs to working and middle-class Americans in our community,” he told the senators.
“This adjustment can be challenging at times, and at the moment of dramatic, postponed change, I am sure that Americans can rise to the challenges they have done before.”