 "'The ball is in China’s court': Trump on a possible trade deal")
US President Donald Trump has said the ball is in Beijing’s court to strike a trade deal with Washington after the Republican leader slammed China for revoking its terms on a major Boeing deal, as tensions between the countries simmer.
In a Tuesday briefing, White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt read out a statement from Trump that said, “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."
US and China are engaged in rapid tit-for-tat hikes in tariffs, with the direct consequences suffered by stock markets prompting investors to call for a de-escalation in trade tensions.
Meanwhile, China, on Wednesday, reported an economic growth of 5.4 per cent in the first quarter as exporters rushed to get goods out of factory gates ahead of the US levies.
Senior official Sheng Laiyun from China’s National Bureau of Statistics said that the US tariffs “will put certain pressures on our country’s foreign trade and economy”.
China appoints new trade official
China has appointed a new international trade representative as tensions with the US continue to simmer. Li Chenggang , who will be working for the Ministry of Commerce (Mofcom), will now replace Wang Shouwen.
Li, 58, brings decades of experience in international negotiations through his work at China’s Ministry of Commerce. He played a major role in negotiating a trade deal with the US in 2020.
Impact Shorts
More ShortsHe also served as China’s ambassador to the World Trade Organisation in Geneva starting in 2021. He holds a law degree from Peking University and a master’s in law and economics from the University of Hamburg in Germany.
‘Zero respect’
Trump has once again slammed China, this time saying that the country did not fulfil its promise on a certain Boeing deal.
The US president said China bought only “a portion of what they agreed to buy,” charging that Beijing had “zero respect” for his predecessor Joe Biden’s administration.
Since the start of the year, Trump has imposed steep duties on imports from China, alongside a 10 per cent “baseline” tariff on many US trading partners.
With inputs from agencies
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