U.S. President Donald Trump on Friday sought to ease concerns about his administrations failure so far to reach a trade deal with China, writing on Twitter that despite a new round of tariffs that went into effect overnight, there is \u201cno need to rush\u201d negotiations with Beijing.<\/p>\n
\u201cTalks with China continue in a very congenial manner \u2013 there is absolutely no need to rush,\u201d he wrote on Twitter, repeating his false claim \u201cmassive payments\u201d from China would be deposited \u201cdirectly to the Treasury of the U.S.\u201d In reality, tariffs are taxes paid by importers, such as U.S. companies, which bring in products from China. Those costs are typically passed on to consumers in the form of higher prices, which can drive down demand for Chinese imports.<\/p>\n
Tariffs on $200 billion in Chinese goods increased to 25 percent at midnight on Friday after negotiations Thursday night failed to reach a deal. U.S. officials had said earlier this week that China \u201creneged\u201d on its commitments it had previously agreed to.<\/p>\n
Talks between Chinese Vice Premier Liu He, U.S. Trade Representative Robert Lighthizer and Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin are set to continue Friday as they work to break the logjam that has resulted in a tit-for-tat tariff war with Beijing that has escalated over the last year.<\/p>\n
China has vowed to implement retaliatory tariffs in response to Trumps move, but its Foreign Ministry also said it would \u201cwork together to resolve existing problems through cooperation and consultation.\u201d<\/p>\n
\nTrump also floated the idea of using revenue from agricultural goods to fund domestic priorities\n<\/p><\/blockquote>\n
Trump, though, signaled that he is perfectly happy to impose tariffs as long as Beijing refuses to accede to his administrations demands.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe process has begun to place additional Tariffs at 25% on the remaining 325 Billion Dollars. The U.S. only sells China approximately 100 Billion Dollars of goods & products, a very big imbalance,\u201d Trump wrote Friday.<\/p>\n
He said that his administration would offer support for U.S. farmers whose businesses have been crippled by Trumps trade war with China, proclaiming that the government \u201cwill buy \u2026 agricultural products from our Great Farmers, in larger amounts than China ever did, and ship it to poor & starving countries in the form of humanitarian assistance.\u201d<\/p>\n
Vice President Mike Pence also suggested as much Thursday, saying during a visit to a Minnesota farm that \u201cwe have already had preliminary discussions in the White House for additional support for farmers if this impasse with China continues.\u201d<\/p>\n