US President Donald Trump said Wednesday that US tariffs on Chinese imports could remain in place for a “substantial period,” dampening hopes that a new trade agreement would see them lifted soon.
Top American trade negotiators are due to travel to Beijing next week for a fresh round of talks, and officials have said they were in the final stages of negotiations on resolving the eight-month trade war with China.
Washington and Beijing are battling over the final shape of an agreement, with American officials demanding profound changes to Chinese industrial policy.
While recent comments that the talks are going well has fueled optimism, Trump seemed to dash hopes trade relations between the world’s two largest economies would return to normal.
“We are talking about leaving them for a substantial period of time,” Trump said of the tariffs. “We have to make sure that if we do the deal with China, that China lives by the deal.”
Trump again told reporters at the White House the talks with Beijing were “coming along nicely.”
But American officials have insisted that any agreement have teeth – including the ability to impose tariffs unilaterally should China begin backsliding on any commitments to end alleged unfair trade practices.
Over the last eight months, the United States and China have slapped tariffs on more than $360 billion in two-way goods trade, weighing on the manufacturing sectors in both countries.
