President Donald Trump said Thursday that he has reached “a lot of things” since China almost tripled our tariffs on Chinese imports, suggesting to reporters that the two countries can reach deals soon after three to four weeks.
In a gag with reporters after signing an executive order related to deregulation in the seafood industry, Trump was asked about the ongoing negotiations with Chinese officials, particularly if he was talking to Chinese President Xi Jinping about the still-in-the-go trade war.
“They reached out many times,” Trump said. When asked how often they’ve been in touch since last week – after Trump tripled China’s tariffs from 54% to 145%, the president responded “a lot.”
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Trump showed his new tariff chart this month, which was subsequently raised to 145% in China. (Brendan Smialowski/AFP via Getty Images)
His comments come from media reports that Trump is the first to not want to reach out to China in the ongoing trade war. Sources close to Trump say US officials are urging Chinese people to start calling between XI and Trump, but this has not been the case.
When asked if he still spoke to XI, Trump did not confirm any method.
“I’ve never said this [it’s] It happened, but I have a very good relationship with President XI, and I think that will continue. They reached out many times,” Trump told reporters.
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The press then quickly hit Trump’s response, demanding that he be made clear whether he was referring to XI or other Chinese officials when he told the president “they reached over and over again.”
“I’m watching that very well,” Trump replied. “It will be China’s highest level, and if you know [Xi]you’ll know that if they reached out, he knew exactly – he knew everything about it. He makes it very tight, very strong and very clever. And, yeah, we’re talking to China. ”
President XI Jinping and President Donald Trump (Pedro Pardo/Pool/Getty Images | Chip Somode Villa/Getty Images)
The president said that while some have urged him to quickly track negotiations, he believes there is “sufficient time left to do business with China and hopes that will happen in the end.
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“I think we can all conclude over the next three or four weeks,” Trump told reporters Thursday.
President Trump hopes that deals between the US and China over tariffs will be sealed, and told reporters he could come in as little as three to four weeks. (AP photo/kiichiro Sato)
The president added that things are “alright” if the deal is not reached.
“At some point, if you don’t do a transaction, you set limits. You set tariffs. You set parameters and say, ‘I’ll go in and shop,'” Trump said. “They always have the right not to do that, so they can say, ‘Well, we’re not going to shop there, we’re not going to shop in American stores.” We have something no one else has, and it is American consumers. ”
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