US President Donald Trump has indicated a possible reversal in his trade war stance with China, stating that the 145% tariffs imposed on the country are too high.
This revelation follows comments from US Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent, who remarked that the ongoing trade standoff between the United States and China is unsustainable.
During a press briefing in the Oval Office, Trump expressed optimism regarding future negotiations with China. He said, “145% is very high, and it won’t be that high. It’ll come down substantially, but it won’t be zero.”
He further commented, “We’re going to live together very happily and ideally work together.” When asked if he intended to take a hardline approach with Beijing and raise the issue of COVID-19’s origins during talks, Trump responded that positive interactions would be key.
Trump to make ‘peace’ with China?
“We’re going to be very nice; they’re going to be very nice, and we’ll see what happens.”
Trump’s change in tone sparked significant attention on Chinese social media, with the hashtag “Trump chickened out” trending as a top topic on Weibo, accumulating over 150 million views, according to USA Today.
Last month, Trump imposed tariffs on several countries, including a staggering 145 percent tariff on China. The Chinese government reacted negatively to this increase, and as a result, the China State Council Tariff Commission raised tariffs on US imports from 84 percent to 125 percent.
Just a few days later, Trump surprised the world again by announcing a 90-day pause on planned tariff hikes for most countries, citing a cooperative response from over 75 trading partners.
Did Trump chicken out?
Let us know by leaving a comment below, or send a WhatsApp to 060 011 0211.
Subscribe to The South African website’s newsletters and follow us on WhatsApp, Facebook, X and Bluesky for the latest news.
