President Donald Trump has expressed openness to significantly reducing the U.S.’s current 145% tariff rate on China ahead of upcoming trade talks between the two nations.
In a post on Truth Social Friday morning, Trump wrote: “80% Tariff on China seems right! Up to Scott B.,” seemingly referring to Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent.
This comes one day before Bessent and U.S. Trade Representative Jamieson Greer are set to meet with their Chinese counterparts in Geneva, Switzerland, for trade negotiations.
Yesterday, Trump hinted that he might consider lowering the current 145% tariff on China. “I mean, we’re going to see. Right now, you can’t get any higher,” he remarked during a speech from the Oval Office. The Chinese embassy in the U.S. did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
An 80% tariff would still be far higher than the duties in place on China before Trump took office. He initially imposed a 20% levy on China, America’s third-largest source of imports, in response to its failure to address fentanyl trafficking, and later signed an executive order raising duties to 125%.
Trump’s approach to tariff negotiations remains unpredictable. On Thursday, he announced that an agreement was being negotiated with the UK, though it contained few details. The agreement would keep the U.S.’s 10% across-the-board duty intact, while exploring opportunities to expand U.S. exports of beef, ethanol, and other agricultural products. However, it provided no guarantees that the U.K. would actually increase imports of these goods.
