Trump says US under ‘no pressure’ for China trade deal

The US President Donald Trump said Washington is under “no pressure” to achieve a trade deal with China as the prospect of new tariffs loom.

The comments come amid reports the two sides could resume talks to stave off a third round of US tariffs.

China welcomed the offer of talks and said the two countries were discussing the details, according to reports.

The US has launched a trade war against China which could see all of its exports to the US subject to duties.

“We are under no pressure to make a deal with China, they are under pressure to make a deal with us,” Mr Trump said in a tweet on Thursday.

“Our markets are surging, theirs are collapsing.”

The US and China have slapped tariffs on $50bn of one another’s goods this year in an escalating trade war between the world’s two largest economies.

The tariffs are the latest Trump policy to challenge the free trade system which has prevailed for decades.

They are already affecting companies, particularly the automobile industry, and hurting economies.

Trump said last week he could move “very soon” to impose tariffs on an additional $200bn (£153bn) worth of products with taxes on another $267bn “ready to go on short notice”.

If both sets of tariffs go ahead it would mean virtually all of China’s US exports would be subject to new tariffs.

BBC