Trump floats cutting China tariffs to 80% ahead of meeting as he looks to deescalate trade war

De-escalating trade war

Photo: AP Photo/Mark Schiefelbein

President Donald Trump speaks to reporters after David Perdue was sworn in as U.S. Ambassador to China during a ceremony in the Oval Office of the White House, Wednesday, May 7, 2025, in Washington.

President Donald Trump on Friday floated cutting tariffs on China from 145% to 80% ahead of a weekend meeting among top U.S. and Chinese trade officials as he looks to deescalate the trade war.

Top U.S. officials are set to meet with a high-level Chinese delegation in Switzerland in the first major talks between the two nations since Trump sparked a trade war with stiff tariffs on imports.

“80% Tariff on China seems right! Up to Scott B,” Trump wrote on his social media account on Friday morning, referring to Scott Bessent, his Treasury chief, who has been a point person on trade. The Republican president also called on China to open its markets to the U.S., writing: “WOULD BE SO GOOD FOR THEM!!! CLOSED MARKETS DON’T WORK ANYMORE!!!”

Bessent and U.S. Trade Representative Jamieson Greer will meet with their counterparts in Geneva in the most-senior known conversations between the two countries in months, the Trump administration announced this week. It comes amid growing U.S. market worry over the impact of the tariffs on the prices and supply of consumer goods.

No country has been hit harder by Trump’s trade war than China, the world’s biggest exporter and second largest economy. When Trump announced his “Liberation Day” tariffs on April 2, China retaliated with tariffs of its own, a move that Trump viewed as demonstrating a lack of respect. The tariffs on each other’s goods have been mounting since then, with the U.S. tariffs against China now at 145% and China tariffs on the U.S. at 125%.

Trump had previously said that he wouldn’t lower the tariffs against China to hold substantive talks. But he showed signs of softening during an Oval Office appearance on Thursday, when he said he “could” lower the 145% rate charged on Chinese goods if the weekend talks go well.

“We’re going to see,” Trump said. “Right now, you can’t get any higher. It’s at 145, so we know it’s coming down.”

The president's team has acknowledged that the 145% tariff was not sustainable, as taxes at that rate were effectively an embargo on any trade between the two countries.

But it remains unclear how Trump can reconcile the contradictions in his stated goals. He wants large amounts of tariff revenues to offset his income tax cuts, but he also wants deals to increase market access for U.S. goods that would likely require lower tariffs. His aides have said he wants to isolate China, yet his tariffs on other trade partners make it difficult to create a durable alliance on trade.