Speaking to reporters from the White House on Tuesday, Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent spoke on President Donald Trump’s trade war with China.
To recap, Trump imposed staggering tariffs on goods from China into the United States.
Trump made statements indicating that trade negotiations were underway with Xi Jinping. However, China claimed that was not the case.
“Let me make it clear one more time that China and the U.S. are not engaged in any consultation or negotiation on tariffs,” Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman Guo Jiakun said at a press conference, according to CNBC.
Bessent was asked directly on Tuesday about this.
“We’re not going to talk about who is talking to whom,” Bessent answered. “I think that over time, we will see Chinese tariffs are unsustainable for China. I’ve seen some very large numbers over the past few days that show, if these numbers stay on, the Chinese could lose 10 million jobs very quickly and even if there is a drop in the tariffs, they could lose 5 million jobs.”
“We are the deficit country. They sell almost five times more goods to us than we sell to them. So, the onus will be on them to take off these tariffs. They’re unsustainable for them,” he added.
Q: "Is the administration talking to Beijing specifically about tariffs or not?"
— The Bulwark (@BulwarkOnline) April 29, 2025
Bessent: "Well, we're not going to talk about who is talking to whom...I'm not going to get into the nitty gritty of who is talking to whom." pic.twitter.com/nxhVrVfNUz
“They are saying that you guys are not talking about it, so is that true?” a reporter pressed.
“They have a different form of government. They’re playing to a different audience, so I’m not going to get into the nitty gritty again of who is talking to whom. But, I believe, as I said, I believe for the Chinese that these tariffs are unsustainable,” Bessent answered.
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