"No Change in Negotiating Countries' Attitude Despite Tariff Ruling"
Scott Besant, the U.S. Secretary of the Treasury leading the country's tariff negotiations, said on the 29th (local time) that the U.S.-China trade talks are somewhat stalled, and that President Donald Trump and Chinese President Xi Jinping need to speak directly.
In an interview with Fox News, Secretary Besant stated, "I believe we will have more conversations with them in the coming weeks," adding, "At some point, President Trump and President Xi might have a phone call."
The United States and China, which had been engaged in a triple-digit tariff war, held high-level talks in Geneva, Switzerland on the 10th and 11th, and agreed to lower the tariffs imposed on each other by 115 percentage points each for 90 days. Negotiators from both sides also had a phone call last week. However, tensions persist as the U.S. continues to maintain its export controls on semiconductors to China despite China's objections, and China maintains its export controls on rare earth elements essential for advanced technology.
Secretary Besant said, "Given the scale and complexity of the talks, I think the two leaders need to coordinate their views directly," adding, "They have a very good relationship, and I am confident that if President Trump makes his position clear, the Chinese side will come to the negotiating table."
President Trump and President Xi last spoke in January of this year, just before President Trump's inauguration. In recent weeks, President Trump has expressed his desire to talk with President Xi, but experts believe China will only respond if there is a guarantee that there will be no unexpected remarks from the U.S. side.
In the interview, Secretary Besant revealed that two major trade negotiations are imminent. One of these is the negotiation scheduled with the Japanese delegation on the 30th.
The previous day, the Court of International Trade (CIT), which serves as the court of first instance, granted a request to nullify the mutual tariffs and other measures, deciding to prohibit the implementation of the tariffs. However, the Trump administration appealed and filed for an injunction, and the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit ordered a temporary halt to the enforcement of the lower court's decision.
Secretary Besant stated that there has been no change in the attitude of other countries participating in the trade negotiations as a result of the court's decision. He said, "They (the negotiating counterparties) are negotiating in good faith and are trying to reach an agreement before the 90-day grace period ends," adding, "There has been no change in their attitude over the past 48 hours."
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