Trump calls for fair trade deal with China amid ongoing tensions

U.S. President Donald Trump said on Sunday that the U.S. was meeting with many countries to discuss trade deals. He also acknowledged that his main priority with China is to secure a fair trade deal.

China has been Trump’s main target in his tariff strategy, causing Beijing to respond with retaliatory tariffs, reaching up to 145% on U.S. goods. China believes that relations may improve, while Trump told NBC News yesterday, he is open to lowering U.S. tariffs at some point.

Trump seeks a fair trade deal with China

On Sunday, President Trump said the U.S. is discussing trade deals with many countries, including (Communist) China. His top priority with (Communist) China is a fair deal. While he won't speak with Xi this week, U.S. officials are talking with CCP officials. pic.twitter.com/DjyBgrfypi

— NFSC Red Leaf Canada (@hli953777191713) May 5, 2025

U.S. President Donald Trump told reporters aboard Air Force One that the U.S. was meeting with many countries, including China. He also mentioned that his main priority with China was to secure a fair trade deal.

Trump stated that he had no plans to speak with Chinese President Xi Jinping this week. He added that U.S. officials were currently speaking with Chinese officials about a variety of different things.

“We’ve gone cold turkey. That means we’re not losing a trillion dollars … because we’re not doing business with them right now. And they want to make a deal. They want to make a deal very badly. We’ll see how that all turns out, but it’s got to be a fair deal.”

~ Donald Trump, the 45th President of the U.S.

When the President was asked if any trade agreements would be announced this week, he said that could “very well be” but gave no details. U.S. officials have engaged in several meetings with trading partners since Trump on April 2 imposed a 10% tariff on most countries. 

He also imposed higher tariff rates for many trading partners that were then suspended for 90 days. The President also issued 25% tariffs on autos, steel, and aluminum, 25% tariffs on Canada and Mexico, and 145% tariffs on China.

Trump suggested he did not expect to reach an agreement with some countries but could instead be “setting a certain tariff” for those trading partners in the next two or three weeks. He did not clarify if he was referring to the reciprocal tariffs announced on April 2, due to kick in on July 8 after a 90-day pause.

The President persisted that China had been “ripping” the U.S. for many years on global trade. He added that former President Richard Nixon’s move to reach out and establish relations with China was “the worst thing” he ever did.

Trump expressed his optimism about China and the prospects for reaching an agreement in an interview with NBC News on Sunday. He said in the interview that he had been “very tough with China,” which cut off trade between the world’s top two economies. The President also added that Beijing now wanted to reach an agreement.

Trump hints at trade agreements with many countries

President Trump has directed his trade team to craft “tailor-made trade deals with each and every country that calls up this administration to strike a deal.”

Nearly 70 countries have called to make a deal since the President’s tariff plan was announced. pic.twitter.com/1hNtpfYOxV

— Charlie Kirk (@charliekirk11) April 8, 2025

Trump raised hopes for countries looking to avoid higher tariffs after he said his administration might reach trade deals with some countries as early as this week. The President said his administration was negotiating with many countries, but at the end of it all, it’s up to him to set the deal and not the other countries.

Trump acknowledged last week the U.S. was eyeing “potential” trade deals with India, South Korea, and Japan. The President’s trade war caused global markets to fluctuate, raising concerns about economic turmoil and putting pressure on the U.S. dollar. Data from the Bureau of Economic Analysis showed last week that U.S. gross domestic product dropped for the first time in three years.

The U.S. imposed some of the highest reciprocal tariffs on Asian economies, but they have been leading trade talks with Trump’s administration ahead of Western countries. Japan’s chief trade negotiator, Ryosei Akazawa, said he hopes the country reaches a trade deal with the U.S. by June, following the latest round of talks in Washington last week.

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