After a few weeks of quiet, the American President is back focusing on his favorite theme – Make America Great Again – which for him involves imposing new tariffs on imports. Hence, he is putting renewed pressure on Beijing amid ongoing negotiations.
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A Symbolic Reduction, but Still a High Threshold
Donald Trump has announced a target of 80% tariffs on Chinese imports, significantly lower than the previous 145%, but still extraordinarily high. An 80% rate on China seems fair! It’s Scott B.’s move now
, he posted on Truth Social, delegating the ongoing negotiations to his Treasury Secretary, Scott Bessent.
The other message is somewhat more forceful (the use of capital letters certainly contributing to this effect), demanding greater access for U.S. businesses to the Chinese market (business is business…).
Currently, a rate of 145% in tariffs is imposed on Chinese goods, of which 20% are specific sanctions. The Trump administration is now considering a partial rollback of these measures, but intends to maintain strong pressure on its chief economic competitor. According to Bloomberg, the real goal might be to lower the duties below 60% in the short term, with an initial de-escalation possible as early as next week.
Scott Bessent and the U.S. Trade Representative, Jamieson Greer, are expected in Geneva this weekend to meet with Chinese Vice Premier Li Feng. Officially, neither side claims to have initiated the meeting; each asserts they ended up there by chance
. And that’s the magic of diplomacy. Yet, it is essential to ease customs tensions and halt any ridiculous escalation. It’s worth noting that China itself raised its tariffs on American products to 125% last month.
Rare Earths and Fentanyl at the Heart of Discussions
Beyond tariffs, there are several sensitive issues at play. The first involves access to rare earths, strategic minerals crucial in many technologies. Since the start of the trade war, China has restricted their export, prompting the United States to secure supplies through agreements with third countries like Greenland or Ukraine (and sparking other conflicts along the way).
Another complex issue concerns fentanyl. Washington accuses Beijing of exporting essential chemical components to Mexico, where they are used to manufacture this drug, which then makes its way back to the USA. The U.S. is using this as a justification for some of the current sanctions.
A High-Stakes Power Struggle
As negotiations resume in a charged atmosphere, observers are keen to see whether the announced tariff reduction will be accompanied by genuine concessions or lead to a further escalation of the conflict.