News / Foreign Policy

Trump says US may not impose more tariffs on China

Friday, 16 November 2018 9:36 PM [ Last Update: Friday, 16 November 2018 9:40 PM ]

US President Donald Trump speaks in the Oval Office of the White House in Washington, DC, November 16, 2018. (Photo by AFP)

President Donald Trump says the United States may not impose more tariffs on Chinese goods, raising hopes of easing tensions between the two countries.

The announcement by Trump came on Friday after China had sent the US a list of steps it was willing to take to resolve trade disputes.

"We have another $267bn [in tariffs ready] to go, if we want to," he told reporters at the White House, saying, however, "We may not have to do that."

"I think a deal will be made," Trump said. "We'll find out very soon."

China proposed a new list of issues to be negotiated ahead of the G20 summit, which Trump described as a "pretty complete list."

However, the president said that “four or five big things left off” the list of 142 items sent by China, noting the list was still "not acceptable to me yet."

Meanwhile, White House officials told CNBC immediately after Trump's remarks that there was still no sign of a deal coming soon, according to Eamon Javers, the channel’s Washington reporter.

White House officials tell me that the president was simply expressing optimism about ongoing negotiations with the Chinese when he said the US may not have to impose additional tariffs. I’m told we should not read into that that there is a deal imminent. All eyes still on G20.
— Eamon Javers (@EamonJavers) November 16, 2018

The United States and China have imposed tit-for-tat tariffs on hundreds of billions of dollars of each other’s goods over the past few months.

Washington has imposed tariffs on $250 billion worth of Chinese goods and China has responded with retaliatory duties on $110 billion worth of US goods.

US demands from China include sweeping changes in bilateral trade, technology transfer and industrial subsidy policies.

Beijing insists that Washington must pursue mutual interests of the US and China in trade talks between them.

Last month, Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman Lu Kang said if the US was not willing to promote win-win cooperation with China, then China would continue with its reforms and develop itself.

Trade talks between the two countries in September concluded without reaching a breakthrough.

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