The US President said the country is meeting with many countries on trade, with a fair deal being the main priority with China.
On May 4, answering reporters on Air Force One, US President Donald Trump said he had no plans to talk to Chinese President Xi Jinping this week. However, US officials have discussed many issues with Chinese officials.
In another interview on NBC News, broadcast on May 4, the US President appeared more optimistic about the possibility of reaching a deal with China. In it, he admitted that "we have been very tough on China", causing trade relations between the two countries to almost freeze.
"We have stopped everything. That means we are no longer losing a trillion dollars because the US is not trading with them right now. They really want to make a deal. We will see how it goes, but it has to be a fair deal," he said.
When asked if any trade deals would be announced this week, Mr. Trump said it was "very possible" but did not give further details. A few days ago, he said he could reach agreements with countries such as India, South Korea, and Japan.
Top officials in the Trump administration have participated in a series of meetings with trading partners since the US President announced reciprocal tariffs on all trading partners on April 2. Previously, he imposed separate tariffs on cars, steel, aluminum, and most products from Canada, Mexico, and China.
Speaking to reporters on May 4, Mr. Trump also repeated his criticism that China has profited from trade with the US for many years. He even said that former President Richard Nixon's establishment of relations with China was "the worst thing" Nixon ever did.
Meanwhile, on May 2, China's Ministry of Commerce said that the US had approached China to seek the possibility of negotiating the 145% tariff. Beijing also declared that it was open to dialogue.
Previously, China repeatedly denied information that Mr. Trump had said that the two countries were negotiating. This was considered a signal of a cooling down in the long-standing trade war between the two countries. However, China's Ministry of Commerce also emphasized that the US needed to take action to correct "wrong actions" and cancel unilateral tariffs. Washington must show "sincerity" in the negotiation process. "Using dialogue as an excuse to force will not work," the ministry said.
(according to Reuters)