President Donald Trump says the US will not play “hardball” with China, telling reporters in the White House that tariffs on China will ultimately not be “anywhere near” the current 145 per cent.
During comments in the Oval Office on Tuesday (Wednesday AEST), Trump insisted the tariffs on Chinese imports would be reduced “substantially”.
Asked if the US was going to play hardball with China in order to make a deal, or if officials would mention the COVID-19 pandemic, Trump quickly responded: “No.”
“I’m not going to mention COVID. I’m not going to say: ‘Oh, I’m going to play hardball with China. I’m going to play hardball with you, President Xi,'” Trump said.
“No, no, we’re going to be very nice. They’re going to be very nice, and we’ll see what happens,” the president said.
“But ultimately, they have to make a deal, because otherwise they’re not going to be able to deal in the United States, and we want them involved.”
