August 12 deadline for China tariffs not set in stone, says US trade negotiator
In an interview broadcast on Sunday, Jamieson Greer said an extension of the tariff pause is something ‘China would want’
The United States is aiming for a possible extension of the tariff pause with China, US Trade Representative Jamieson Greer said in a television interview released on Sunday.
“I think it’s going in a positive direction,” he said. While he did not want to pre-empt Trump, Greer stated that he did not believe anyone wanted tariffs to rise back above 80 per cent.
Following the talks, Greer initially said discussions with Trump would determine whether extending the pause was something he wanted to pursue.
Since April, the United States has gradually increased import tariffs on Chinese goods to as much as 145 per cent.
In response, China imposed retaliatory tariffs of up to 125 per cent and introduced export controls on strategically important raw materials.
In May, both sides agreed in Geneva, Switzerland to a 90-day suspension of new tariffs.
Trump administration sends mixed messages on China trade pact
Press secretary refers question on extension of current tariff pause to Bessent
The US government sent mixed messages on Thursday on where the latest trade agreement with China, including a possible extension of the pause on tariff hikes, is headed.
Asked by a reporter at the regular press briefing whether an extension of the current pause on import tariffs aimed at each others’ products “was on the table”, White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt said, “I don’t think so, but I’ll let [Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent] speak on that, because he’s leading these negotiations.”
She added that the “current trade programme we have going right now with China, as it stands, will decrease America’s trade deficit by [US]$5 billion this year”.
“So we are moving in the right direction when it comes to China, and Secretary Bessent and [US Trade Representative] Ambassador [Jamieson] Greer continue to be in direct communication with our Chinese counterparts,” Leavitt said.
At a separate event at the White House later on Thursday, at which Bessent was present, Trump did not mention whether or not he has approved the plan to extend the suspension of tariff increases targeting Chinese goods.
The Treasury Department did not immediately respond to a request for clarification.
