“If we can’t make a deal with China, then the tariffs will be very, very substantial,” Trump said.
White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt later told Fox News that there’s a plan for Trump to speak with Chinese President Xi Jinping about “illegal Chinese fentanyl that is killing tens of thousands of Americans every single year.”“The president has made it very clear to China that we are not going to tolerate that,” she said. “And I would also add that many of President Trump’s tariffs from the first term are still in effect.”
The focus has turned to China after Trump reached deals with Mexico and Canada to delay 25% tariffs in return for tougher measures against migration and drug trafficking at the border.
China’s reaction to Trump’s initial announcement — coming in the middle of a weeklong Lunar New Year holiday — was relatively muted. The Commerce Ministry issued a statement expressing strong “dissatisfaction” and vowed unspecified “corresponding countermeasures,” while saying China would file a complaint at the World Trade Organization.
