US President Donald Trump said he is willing to reduce tariffs on China at some point, as current taxes are so high that the two largest economies in the world have essentially stopped doing business with each other.
Trump imposed up to 145% tariffs on Chinese imports, while China retaliated with 125% tariffs on American products. These measures have shaken markets and threaten to increase the prices of manufacturing equipment and affordable goods, such as clothing and toys, many Americans depend on.
“At some point, I will reduce them, because otherwise you could never do business with them, and they really want to do business,” Trump said in an interview that aired on Sunday on the “Meet The Press” program of NBC.
He highlighted recent economic difficulties in China, where factory activity fell to the worst contraction since 2023, according to the official index of purchasing managers in the sector. New export requests have fallen to the lowest level since December 2022 and have registered the largest drop since April of that year, when Shanghai went into lockdown due to the pandemic.
Trump also praised some recent statements from China as “positive”, while reiterating that any agreement between the two countries must be “fair.”
Last Friday (2), China announced that it is evaluating the possibility of commercial negotiations with the US since Trump’s rates were announced last month, representing the first sign that negotiations can start between both sides.
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“China is currently evaluating this,” said the ministry statement. US actions climbed on Friday after these signs of Beijing.
© 2025 Bloomberg L.P.
