Trump Threatens China With 155% Tariffs – Is He Really Trying To Be ‘Nice’?

Trump Threatens China With 155% Tariffs Despite Claiming He Wants Friendship – Is He Really Trying To Be ‘Nice’ With Beijing?

US President Donald Trump announces massive tariffs and export controls on China while signalling an upcoming high-level meeting with Xi Jinping.

Washington DC: US President Donald Trump declared that the United States will impose a 155 per cent tariff on Chinese imports starting November 1. He said he wants to maintain friendly ties with Beijing but stressed that years of one-sided trade left no choice.

“Right now, as of November 1st, China will have about 155 per cent tariffs put on it. I don't think it's sustainable for them. I want to be nice to China. But China has been very rough with us over the years because we had presidents that were not smart from a business standpoint… They allowed China and every other country to take advantage of us,” he told ANI.

The US president pointed to his previous trade deals with the European Union, Japan and South Korea, emphasising that tariffs serve as a tool for “national security”.

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“We are getting hundreds of billions, even trillions, of dollars paid into the United States… We will start paying off debt,” he added.

His announcement marks a broad escalation of the so-called “secondary tariff” strategy targeting countries that indirectly aid Russia's war efforts in Ukraine through energy trade. China, the world's largest importer of Russian crude, faces these sharp measures just days after Trump announced an additional 100 per cent tariff “over and above any tariff that they are currently paying”, effective November 1.

Trump also revealed that export controls will cover all critical software from the same date. In a post on Truth Social, he wrote, “Based on the fact that China has taken this unprecedented position, and speaking only for the USA, starting November 1, 2025, the United States of America will impose a Tariff of 100% on China, over and above any Tariff that they are currently paying. Also on November 1, we will impose Export Controls on any and all critical software.”

He added that China's move to send an “extremely hostile letter to the world” demanding export controls on a wide range of products was “absolutely unheard of in International Trade and a moral disgrace in dealing with other Nations”.

Despite the stern stance, Trump expressed optimism about the upcoming high-level talks. Speaking at a Senate Republicans lunch in the White House Rose Garden, he said, “I am going to see President Xi in two weeks. I am going over to South Korea. We are going to meet in South Korea. We are going to talk about a lot of things.”

Trump highlighted that China is aware of the steep tariffs: “They want to discuss the fact that they are paying a 157 per cent tariff. It is a little higher than they thought. We are doing very well. I think we are going to do well in that negotiation.”

He recalled the ongoing 55 per cent tariffs already paid by China. “A lot of countries took advantage of the United States, and they are not able to take advantage anymore. China's paying 55 per cent and a potential 155 per cent come November 1st unless we make a deal,” Trump stated.

The move highlights the US strategy to combine pressure and diplomacy, using tariffs as both a punitive and bargaining tool while Trump prepares for talks with Xi Jinping.

Source: ZeeNews
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