US President Donald Trump hinted on Thursday (17 Apr 2025) that the tariff war between the United States and China might come to an end, citing concerns that higher tariffs could hurt consumer spending.
“I don’t want them to go higher because at a certain point you make it where people don’t buy,” Trump said during a White House press conference on Thursday (17 Apr 2025).
“I may not want to go higher, or I may not want to even go up to that level. I may want to go to less because you want people to buy, and at a certain point, people aren’t gonna buy,” he added.
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Trump claimed that China has actively sought negotiations on tariff issues and maintained contact after the US imposed additional taxes on Chinese goods.
He expressed optimism about reaching an agreement.
Communication with Chinese Leadership
When reporters asked if Trump had been in contact with Chinese President Xi Jinping, he gave a vague answer.
“I have a very good relationship with President Xi, and I think it’s going to continue. And I would say they have reached out a number of times,” he said.
When pressed on whether Xi had contacted him directly or if it was Chinese officials who reached out, Trump continued to be evasive, refusing to go into the specifics of the talks.
“If you know him (Xi), you’d know that if they reached out, he knew exactly. He knew everything about it, he runs it very tight, very strong, very smart.”
According to Reuters, citing sources, even if both sides maintain contact, frank, high-level exchanges that could lead to an agreement are still missing.
Regarding the agreement that could determine TikTok’s fate, Trump said this would only be discussed after US-China trade issues are resolved.
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“We’ve reached a consensus on TikTok, but it depends on what China does. So we’ll delay this deal until things are resolved in some way,” he stated.
EU Trade Relations
On the same day, Trump met with visiting Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni and stated he was 100% certain that the US would eventually reach a trade agreement with Europe, possibly within the 90-day tariff suspension period.
“Of course, we’ll reach a trade agreement; they really want to reach one. So, we’ll reach a trade agreement. This is what I expect, and it will be a fair agreement,” Trump told reporters in the Oval Office.
Meloni also expressed confidence. “I believe we can reach an agreement, and I’m here to help achieve this goal,” she said.
She noted that while she couldn’t finalise an agreement for the entire EU, her frank discussions with Trump would help ease trade tensions between Europe and America.
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Bloomberg reported that the EU is drafting a proposal to restrict certain exports to the US in retaliation for American tariff measures.
These restrictions are reportedly a deterrent and would only be implemented if negotiations with the US fail to produce satisfactory results.
The US currently imposes tariffs on about 3,800 billion euros (~SGD 5,664 billion) worth of EU goods.
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