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Donald Trump has said an 80 per cent tariff on Chinese imports “seems right” as the US president stakes out a position ahead of talks between Washington and Beijing this weekend.
Trump posted on his Truth Social platform on Friday: “80% Tariff on China seems right! Up to Scott B” — a reference to a meeting due to start on Saturday in Geneva between US representatives led by Treasury secretary Scott Bessent and Chinese officials.
Trump also posted: “CHINA SHOULD OPEN UP ITS MARKET TO USA — WOULD BE SO GOOD FOR THEM!!! CLOSED MARKETS DON’T WORK ANYMORE!!!”
Earlier reports had indicated that the Trump administration was aiming to cut tariffs below 60 per cent. Last month Trump ratcheted up his additional tariffs on Chinese imports to the US to 145 per cent, freezing most trade between the countries.
People familiar with the matter said the figures Trump floated were probably a negotiating tactic ahead of Saturday’s talks rather than an actual target.
Trump’s comments on the US-China trade war in recent months have repeatedly proved unreliable, including claims that he spoke to China’s President Xi Jinping since imposing tariffs — which people familiar with the situation said was not the case.
Bessent said earlier this week that his meeting with his Chinese counterpart He Lifeng was not intended to negotiate a big deal but an effort to de-escalate the trade war. Bessent has said that the current high level of tariffs that the US and China have imposed on each other were “not sustainable”.
Data on Friday, however, showed that China’s exports grew sharply in April despite Trump’s “liberation” day tariffs on shipments to the US, strengthening Beijing’s hand ahead of the talks.
The strong performance came as Chinese companies diverted trade flows to south-east Asia, Europe and other destinations following the imposition of the tit-for-tat tariffs. Exports rose 8.1 per cent in dollar terms compared with a year earlier, China’s customs said.
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