AsianFin -- U.S. President Donald Trump flexed muscles on global trade while expressing more room to maintain “very good relationship” with China these days.
Credit:Xinhua News Agency
“I think that we’re going to have a very good relationship. All we want is fairness. We just want a level playing field,” Trump responded a question about how the U.S-China relationship will develop under his leadership in a virtual interview at the World Economic Forum on Thursday.
Trump said at the forum he likes Chinese President Xi Jinping very much and "we always had a very good relationship." He wants to hold talks with China and Russia to promote denuclearization.
Trump recounted talks with Putin ahead of the 2020 U.S. election about denuclearization talks and how “China would have come along.” "I can tell you that President Putin wanted to do it. He and I wanted to do it. We had a good conversation with China. They would have been involved, and that would have been an unbelievable thing for the planet," Trump said.
In an interview with Fox News later, Trump said he “would rather not have to use tariffs on China”, but maintained tariff threat, calling tariffs a "tremendous power." The preisent said "I can do that” when asked if he could make a deal with China over fair trade practices.
Trump made the remarks days after he spoke in a phone with Xi and so far refrained from immediate hefy tariffs on China as he pledged during election campaign .
Trump said on Friday last week he held a “very good” phone call with Xi and exchanged view about hot topics including trade and TikTok. "I just spoke to Chairman Xi Jinping of China. The call was a very good one for both China and the U.S.A. It is my expectation that we will solve many problems together, and starting immediately," Trump wrote in a post to his Truth Social platform. "We discussed balancing Trade, Fentanyl, TikTok, and many other subjects. President Xi and I will do everything possible to make the World more peaceful and safe!"
During the telephone conversation, Xi pointed out that both he and Trump attach great importance to interaction with each other, hope that China-U.S. ties will have a good start in the new U.S. presidential term, and stand ready to push China-U.S. relations to make greater progress from a new starting point, reported China’s state news agency Xinhua on Friday.
Xi said that it is inevitable that China and the United States, two major countries with different national conditions, have some differences, and the key is to respect each other's core interests and major concerns, and find appropriate ways to solve issues, according to the report.
Xi called for the U.S. government to handle the Taiwan question with caution as it concerns China's national sovereignty and territorial integrity. He said the nature of China-U.S. economic and trade relations is mutually beneficial and win-win, and confrontation and conflict should not be the choice of the two countries.
Trump said he cherishes his great relationship with Xi, hopes to continue to maintain dialogue and communication, and looks forward to meeting Xi at an early date, according to the Xinhua report. Trump also said China and U.S. should maintain long-lasting friendship and work together to safeguard global peace, per the report.
Trump on Tuesday he could impose steep tariffs on Chinese trade to his country next month. “We’re talking about a tariff of 10% on China based on the fact that they’re sending fentanyl to Mexico and Canada,” Trump told reporters at the White House on Tuesday evening. “Probably Feb. 1 is the date we’re looking at,” the newly inaugurated president added.
10% is lower than Trump threatened before. As a candidate, he has had pledged to slap 60% tariffs on all goods coming in from China and 10% tariffs on goods imported from all other countries.
In his inaugural address Monday, Trump didn’t reveal any plans of tariffs on specific trade partners, but vowed his administration " will tariff and tax foreign countries to enrich our citizens", rather than “taxing our citizens to enrich other countries.” He said a new government agency called External Revenue Service will be created to collect tariffs and other foreign trade-related revenues.