Trump wants China to propose a tarriff deal and end the conflict

President Donald Trump is urging China to reach out and make a tariff proposal that could help resolve the growing trade conflict between the two major economic powers. 

White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt read a statement dictated by Trump on Tuesday, indicating that the administration wants China to approach them first. “The ball is in China’s court. China needs to make a deal with us. We don’t have to make a deal with them,” the statement read. 

It also pointed out that, in Trump’s view, “There’s no difference between China and any other country except they are much larger, and China wants what we have, what every country wants, what we have — the American consumer — or to put another way, they need our money.”

These remarks show that each side is standing firm, leaving little certainty about when the conflict will subside. 

Leavitt explained, “There’s a lot of work to do. We very much understand that, but we do believe that we can announce some deals very soon.” However, she did not specify which nations might be close to reaching an agreement with Washington.

Meanwhile, there has been no high-level engagement between the U.S. and China. Each time one side boosted tariffs, the other side responded by raising them as well. Trump began this round on April 2 with a 34% duty on Chinese imports.

China answered by announcing a 125% tariff on all U.S. goods starting April 12. The president then pushed duties higher in reaction to each new Chinese measure. At the same time, the White House has insisted that China must make the first move to restart formal discussions, while Beijing has said it remains unclear about what the U.S. is asking for.

China halted deliveries of Boeing in the meantime

Bloomberg reported that China’s airlines have been told not to accept Boeing deliveries, citing unnamed sources. The directive to airlines follows the Trump administration’s decision to impose tariffs as high as 145% on Chinese goods.

The president fired back in a social media post, accusing Beijing of having “just reneged on the big Boeing deal” that was signed during his first administration. 

This standoff deepened after the White House revealed it is working on negotiations with multiple foreign partners to reduce trade barriers, in exchange for the United States holding off on stiffer tariffs. Those duties were paused on April 10 for 90 days to allow negotiations with other countries. So far, there are at least 15 proposals for Trump to examine, and Leavitt stated the president is determined “to personally sign off on all of these deals.”

Analysts noted that Boeing might not suffer as much in the short term because it could potentially send those planes to other airlines, and Airbus does not have the production capacity to fully meet China’s needs. Still, Boeing regards China as one of its fastest-growing markets, and a suspension in orders from the country could pose challenges down the road.

Data shows China’s top three carriers — Air China, China Eastern Airlines, and China Southern Airlines — had planned to receive 45, 53, and 81 Boeing planes respectively between 2025 and 2027. Beijing has also directed these airlines to pause purchases of related equipment and parts from U.S. companies. Even so, halting all new U.S. parts might be difficult because Chinese carriers need them to maintain their current fleets.

The Chinese government is exploring ways to assist airlines that lease Boeing jets and are now facing increased costs. According to Bloomberg News, such support could come in various forms, though no specific details have been disclosed.

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