US President Donald Trump stated that he would “rather not” impose tariffs on China, despite repeatedly pledging during his campaign to levy significant import taxes on America’s largest economic competitor.
In a Fox News interview, Trump was asked whether he could strike a deal with Chinese President Xi Jinping on Taiwan and trade.
Trump responded, “I can do that because we have something they want—we have a pot of gold.”
He continued, “We have one very big power over China, and that’s tariffs. They don’t want them, and I’d rather not have to use it. But it’s a tremendous power over China.”
The interview, which aired on Thursday, follows Trump’s earlier remarks about potentially imposing a 10 percent tariff on all Chinese imports starting February 1. He had previously suggested that tariffs could go as high as 60 percent.
In response, China’s foreign ministry spokesperson, Mao Ning, urged the US and China to resolve their trade disputes through “dialogue and consultation.”
She added, “China-US economic and trade cooperation is mutually beneficial. Trade wars and tariff wars have no winners and don’t serve anyone’s interests or the world’s interests.”
AFP
