Donald Trump, the President of the United States, has defended his choice to put 100% tariffs on Chinese goods, saying he had to do it after Beijing tightened export limits on rare earth materials. This made trade tensions between the two biggest economies in the world much worse.
In an honest interview with Fox Business, Trump said that his choice was a direct response to what he called China’s economic pressure tactics.
“Chinese President Xi Jinping put pressure on the US by making it harder to export rare earth minerals. I boosted our tariffs to 100% on top of what they’re already paying, which is even worse. A lot worse. That amount isn’t sustainable, but that’s what it is. Trump said, “But they made me do that.”
Trump said, “We’ll see what happens with China” after meeting Xi.
Even though trade tensions are rising, Trump sounded relatively conciliatory when he said he still had a “great relationship” with President Xi Jinping.
“We’ll see what happens with China.” We’ve always gotten along well, but they’re always trying to get an edge. “You know, they stole from our country for years,” Trump said.
He also said he would meet Xi Jinping in South Korea to talk about trade and the economy.
“We’re going to meet with President Xi and other folks in South Korea. He remarked, “We have a separate meeting set up,” which suggested that diplomatic efforts are still going on even while the tariffs are still in place.
Finding a balance between pressure and diplomacy
Trump said that he wants a fair trade deal with China, but he thinks his tariff plan is vital to safeguard American interests.
“I believe that China will be good with us. Xi and I got along really well. He’s a great man and a great leader, but we need to make sure the agreement is fair. Trump said, “China has been stealing from us since day one.”
Trump said last week that the US would put an extra 100% tariff on Chinese imports starting on November 1. This was in response to China’s decision to limit exports of rare earth minerals, which are important for making electronics, advanced technologies, and defense equipment.
“The US wants to help China, not hurt it.”
Over the weekend, Trump changed his mind and said that the US did not want to hurt China’s economy.
“The US wants to help China, not hurt it!!!” Trump wrote something on Truth Social. “President Xi, who is well-respected, doesn’t want Depression for his country.”
Analysts think that the rare earths conflict might make the trade war worse because China controls the global supply chain for these important minerals. However, his most recent comments suggest that there may be room for discussion.