According to Reuters, speaking at the White House when announcing a new trade deal with the UK, Mr. Trump expressed his expectations for an upcoming meeting with China and stated that the dialogue would be constructive.
Trump said the two sides will send senior officials to Switzerland over the weekend to begin negotiations.
The US side will be represented by Finance Minister Scott Bessent and Head of the Jamieson Greer trade negotiation delegation, while the Chinese side will send Deputy Prime Minister He Lap Phong. The meeting is seen as the first step towards resolving the long-running trade conflict that has affected the global economy.
President Trump affirmed that the current tax rate cannot be higher and therefore will definitely have to be reduced. When asked if he would consider cutting taxes if the negotiations progressed well, he replied: "May. I think this will be a friendly meeting. They want to work elegantly.
Despite temporarily suspending tariffs in response to most other countries to ease trade tensions, Trump has kept the tariffs on China unchanged. This has many observers concerned about the economic impact if the trade conflict continues. However, his latest statements show a clear change in tone, expressing his desire to ease tensions between the two major economies.
Mr. Trump said China very eager to reach a deal and commented that China has more to lose in the current conflict. I think we will have a positive weekend with China. They have a lot to achieve, even more than us, he said.
The US President also left open the possibility of speaking by phone with General Secretary and President of China Xi Jinping after the meeting. I can do it, yes, for sure, he shared. Although he always has personal respect for Mr. Xi Jinping, Mr. Donald Trump also often criticizes China for trade issues.
Trade is a focus of Trump's policies. He said China has a huge trade surplus with the US and wanted to change that. I want to see China open, he stressed.
With optimistic comments, Trump said the weekend talks would be real and could be an important step forward to resolve the current conflict.
