Trump Administration Pressures China on Tariff Negotiations

President Donald Trump’s cabinet members are increasing public pressure on China as trade negotiations over bilateral tariffs unfold.

President Trump recently announced he was raising tariffs on imports from China to 125% “effective immediately.”

Trump and many Republicans have argued China engages in deceptive trade practices to unfairly attract trade to their shores, harming the US economy and national security. 

Even during former President Joe Biden’s administration, official US government reports alleged the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) was subsidizing Chinese companies to deflate prices and drive out competition artificially. 

“China’s industrial targeting is a significantly more predatory version, as it does not simply seek to establish a capable Chinese competitor, but rather seeks to aggressively displace foreign competitors,” reads a 2024 US Trade Representative report. 

Secretary of State Marco Rubio lauded Trump’s no-tolerance tariff strategy with China, claiming it was overdue for the US to respond to China’s unfair trade practices. 

“Chinese companies can do whatever they want in America. American companies can only do what the Chinese allow them to do in China, and it’s very limited,” said Secretary Rubio. 

Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent similarly lauded Trump’s tariff strategy and claimed China is responsible for enacting necessary reforms to restore the US-China trade relationship. 

“I believe that it’s up to China to de-escalate, because they sell five times more to us than we sell to them, and so these 120%, 145% tariffs are unsustainable,” Secretary Bessent said.

The US and China’s combined trade is worth nearly $600 billion. 

However, while the US imports $438.9 billion in exports from China, the latter only imports $143.5 billion in US exports. 

Trump claims he is in constant contact with Chinese trade representatives but it is unclear if he has directly spoken to Chinese President Xi Jinping on tariffs.

“Finally we have a President that will stand up to China’s unfair trade practices,” continued Rubio. “Trump is dealing with something that should have been dealt with a long time ago.”