White House urges China to act first on trade talks

WASHINGTON: The White House has said that the United States is ready to enter a trade deal with China, but stressed that it is up to Beijing to take the first step towards negotiations.

White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt said on Tuesday that President Donald Trump is open to making a trade deal with China, but Beijing should make the first move.

“The ball is in China’s court: China needs to make a deal with us, we don’t have to make a deal with them,” Leavitt told a press briefing, saying Trump had given her that statement directly in an Oval Office meeting to use.

“China wants what we have... the American consumer, or to put another way, they need our money,” Leavitt said.

China raised its tariffs on imports of US goods to 125% on Friday in a retaliatory move against Trump, who effectively raised US tariffs on Chinese goods to 145%, while putting a pause on planned levies for other countries' goods.

Trump has described Chinese President Xi Jinping in admiring terms, but neither man has backed down in an escalating trade war between their two countries.

“The president, again, has made it quite clear that he’s open to a deal with China. But China needs to make a deal with the United States of America,” Leavitt said.

Trump has said he expects something positive to come out of the trade tensions between the world’s two largest economies. But, unlike multiple other nations who have responded to his plans for tariffs by seeking deals with Washington, Beijing has raised its own levies on US goods and not sought talks.