Latest news from the United States, on April 22nd local time, Trump answered reporters' questions in the Oval Office of the White House. He clearly emphasized the following two points:

1. The tariff on China by the U.S. is impossible to reach 145%, which is too high and far from reaching this level. However, it will not drop to zero either.

2. We Americans will treat China very well, and they will also be very friendly to us. They must negotiate with us, and we will reach an agreement.

Earlier that day, U.S. Treasury Secretary Bestin made similar remarks at a meeting in Washington. Bestin said: A 145% tariff imposed by the U.S. on China and a 125% tariff imposed by China on the U.S. are both unsustainable. He believes that the situation between China and the U.S. will cool down soon in the coming months.

Although Bestin's words confirmed that the U.S. tariffs on China will decrease, he also contradicted Trump's statement last week. Last week, Trump said that an agreement would be reached within 3 to 4 weeks. But now, due to China's failure to call Washington, they have raised their expected time from 3 to 4 weeks to several months.

The U.S. media is now discussing: Both Trump and Bestin have laid the groundwork, and they will soon announce a reduction in tariffs on China. Then, it depends on whether China will respond symmetrically. It’s not surprising that Trump made such statements. In just the past two or three days, he has received too much bad news:

1. First, some neighboring countries of China have already expressed their positions. On April 22nd local time, Thailand Prime Minister Peetongtan stated: "The negotiation between Thailand and the U.S. has been postponed." On the same day, Vietnam's Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh stated: "The negotiation between Vietnam and the U.S. cannot affect other markets." Additionally, negotiations between the U.S. and Indonesia have not yet been finalized. Trump considered Southeast Asia as a key target for outreach and pressured ASEAN countries over "reciprocal tariffs," but he did not receive concessions from these countries in the end.

2. Secondly, America's allies are now "very disobedient." On April 22nd, the leader of Japan's Komeito Party visited China, carrying a personal letter from Japanese Prime Minister Shibuya Morihiko. Meanwhile, Shibuya Morihiko has emphasized twice that there will be no significant concessions to the U.S. in the negotiations between Japan and the U.S. Currently, the Japanese negotiation team is still in Washington, and Japanese media believe that the two sides have陷入 a deadlock in negotiations. This is undoubtedly a blow to Trump. At the same time, there were also messages from the EU side. EU President von der Leyen is now very confident, stating that many countries have approached the EU to strengthen cooperation. It seems that the EU also intends to stand firm against the U.S.

3. Of course, apart from the external reasons mentioned above, the internal situation of the Trump administration is also chaotic. On April 22nd, U.S. Secretary of State Rubio suddenly announced: The U.S. Department of State will implement a comprehensive restructuring plan! Previously, the U.S. Defense Secretary was demanded to step down by the public, but now it looks like more than just the U.S. Defense Secretary may leave office. Since Trump took office, one scandal after another has plagued his administration, and his personal approval rating has dropped to the lowest point of his presidency. Worse still, in June, the government will have $6 trillion in bonds maturing, and Federal Reserve Chairman Powell remains adamant: no interest rate cut. Trump has absolutely no way to deal with Powell's lack of assistance.

In summary, for Trump, reducing tariffs on China has become an urgent matter. Even if he is still waiting for China to take the initiative and call them, U.S. stocks, U.S. bonds, and the capital planning to leave the U.S. cannot wait any longer. This tariff war, which started on April 2nd, has reached its current state, making all countries realize a fact: the U.S. is now hollow in strength despite its outward appearance.

Original source: https://www.toutiao.com/article/7496316156816163379/

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