“If we don’t agree, we’re going to do a deal anyway because we set a specific target, and that’s what will happen,” the president says.
President Donald Trump said on April 17 that China had contacted the administration to negotiate amid the ongoing tariff war, signaling that a contract to sell Tiktok from a Beijing-based partner may be waiting for him.
While speaking to reporters at the executive order signing ceremony at the Oval Office, Trump confirmed that Chinese officials have reached “more” after raising the country’s tariffs to 145%.
“I think we’re going to do business with China, or we’re going to do business anyway because we’re setting a specific target.
Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick said the administration is confident that it will be a good deal with China for both countries.
China recently increased tariffs on US imports from 84% to 125% in retaliation against Trump’s 145% tariffs on all Chinese imports into the US. Some Chinese products, such as electric vehicles and syringes, face 245% tariffs due to the engraving of previous sector-related tariffs.
Trump had imposed a 25% tariff on electric vehicles from China during his first term.
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On April 17, Trump was asked if he thought China would exceed 125% in retaliatory tariffs in the US.
“I don’t want them to be expensive because at certain points you’ll make it in places where people don’t buy,” Trump said, referring to US products.
While working on a tariff agreement with China, Trump said he could mediate a contract to sell Tiktok from Beijing-based parent company Baitedan. Congress passed a law in 2024 requiring Tiktok’s American operations to cut ties with China or face bans in the United States, citing national security concerns.
“We have a deal with Tiktok, which is subject to China,” Trump told reporters on April 17.
The president said he believes it would be in China’s interest to sign a contract on Tiktok in his administration, particularly in the number of companies he uses for commercial transactions, due to the value of the app in the US market.
Trump added that he may consider China’s willingness to sign a Tiktok deal while negotiating an end to the trade war.
“If we’re doing a trade, that’s natural. I think we’ll spend five minutes talking about Tiktok. That doesn’t take that long,” he said.
Trump suggested that he has “sufficient time” to mediate transactions with China on tariffs, citing his discussions with countries like Japan and Mexico to negotiate tariffs.
“The problem is, it’s only a few hours a day. I think we’re going to do business with China. We’re going to do business with everyone,” he said. “And if we don’t do a deal, we can just target and live with it. That’s fine.”
The escalation of the tariff war with China could be concluded “over the next three or four weeks,” Trump added.
“You have to understand, think of us as a big, beautiful department store,” he said. “Everyone wants a part of that store. China wants that. Japan wants that. Canada, Mexico, they live it.”
Without a deal, Trump said he simply sets tariffs and some parameters.
“They may not like it, they may find it, and the market may be too expensive,” he said. “Then they’ll come back and say, ‘Well, we think this is too expensive, so we’ll negotiate.’ ”
Trump said China has “no rights” and is dealing with his administration, stressing that the US “is something no one else has, and that’s American consumers.”
