US President Donald Trump said he would “rather not” impose tariffs on China, despite repeated campaign promises to hammer America’s largest economic foe with steep import duties.
When asked in an interview with Fox News if he could reach an agreement with Chinese President Xi Jinping on Taiwan and trade, Trump answered, “I can do that because we have something that they want, we have a pot of gold.”
“We have one very powerful tool over China: tariffs, which they don’t want, and I’d like not have to use it. But it has enormous leverage over China,” the erratic president remarked in an interview broadcast Thursday in the United States.
After assuming office on Monday, Trump claimed 10% tariffs on all Chinese imports could kick in on February 1 — and on the campaign trail touted a levy as high as 60 percent.
On Friday Beijing called for the US and China to resolve their differences through “dialogue and consultation”.
