[Text/Watchman Network Qi Qian] According to CNBC news, on the evening of April 8 local time, US President Trump made a speech at the fundraising dinner of the National Republican Congressional Committee (NRCC), ridiculing those countries seeking to negotiate tariffs with the United States.
The on-site video shows that Trump rebutted questions about the tariff policy, insisting that the initiative was in the United States. His tariff policy would force other countries to give "everything" to the United States because "they don't want the US to impose tariffs on themselves."
He also talked about the Japanese negotiation team, saying, "While we are talking, many Japanese are flying over here."
Trump continued to mock, "These countries are calling me, kissing my ass, they are eager to reach a trade agreement. They say, 'Sir, please let me reach an agreement, I am willing to do anything, I am willing to do anything, sir.'"
Kiss ass is an American slang meaning "flattering," "fawning," and "ingratiating," literally translating to "kissing the butt." The Merriam-Webster Dictionary, Collins Dictionary, Cambridge Dictionary, etc., all mark this usage as informal, offensive, and vulgar.
During this time, Trump also threatened to tax imported drugs. He claimed, "Once we do this, they will rush over. Because we have an advantage over anyone else, because our market is very large. We will soon announce high tariffs on drugs."
Trump boasted, "In the past, many countries ripped us off; now it's our turn to rip them off."
Trump insults multiple country leaders, screenshot of video
Since Trump recently announced the implementation of "reciprocal tariffs" worldwide, global stock market values have evaporated by $10 trillion, and market volatility has surged. Subsequently, China, Canada, and other economies have announced countermeasures in response to US tariffs.
However, more countries either remain indecisive between "carrots" and "sticks" or plan to use zero tariffs to persuade Trump to withdraw his decision. The New York Times reported that in recent days, more than 50 countries have contacted the US government in hopes of reaching an agreement. Among the top 20 countries with the largest US exports, only China and Canada have retaliated, while the EU's countermeasures require approval from member states.
Among them, Vietnam will face a 46% "reciprocal tariff," which is one of the highest tariffs faced globally. The Vietnamese government immediately extended an olive branch for reconciliation, indicating their willingness to cancel import tariffs on US goods. However, White House senior advisor Navarro responded by saying that even if Vietnam reduces its tariffs to zero, it would not be enough to make the US yield.
On April 7 local time, Israeli Prime Minister Netanyahu personally assured Trump at the White House that they would strive to eliminate the US-Israel trade deficit. Trump expressed gratitude but did not agree to revoke the tariffs.
On the same day, Japanese Prime Minister Ishiba held a 25-minute phone conversation with Trump. Ishiba promised to continue consultations with the US side to promote the US review of its tariff policies. However, after the meeting, Trump continued to criticize Japan, saying that Japan "is very unfair in trade with the US, they don't buy our cars, but we bought millions of their cars."
On the 7th, Indian Foreign Minister Jaishankar released a statement, stating that he had discussions with US Secretary of State Rubio regarding trade, tariffs, and how the two countries can move toward a fair and balanced trade relationship.
According to Yonhap News Agency, on the 8th, South Korean Acting Prime Minister Han Deung-soo had a 28-minute phone call with Trump, discussing strengthening the ROK-US alliance, economic cooperation, and the North Korean nuclear issue. Trump said this was a "good conversation," and the South Korean high-level team is preparing to fly to the US, but he simultaneously pressured South Korea to purchase a large amount of American goods including liquefied natural gas.
For this, Nahal Tusi, a senior diplomatic affairs reporter for Politico, wrote an article on May 5 stating that she originally expected governments around the world to quickly retaliate collectively, but the reality was just the opposite. In the article, experts used the classic "prisoner's dilemma" to explain the current choices of various countries, meaning that when faced with a dilemma, individuals tend to betray the collective and make more self-interested decisions.
"Officials from various countries are waiting for replies from the Trump administration." Politico reported on April 8 that some countries did not receive any response after negotiating with the US, and some are still waiting in line. A foreign diplomat pointed out that both Vietnam and Israel have proposed to cancel tariffs, but have received no concessions. "Besides a friendly tweet, you won't get anything."
In the afternoon of April 8, Foreign Ministry Spokesperson Lin Jian stated that the US abuse of tariffs seriously infringes on the legitimate rights and interests of various countries, seriously violates World Trade Organization rules, seriously damages the multilateral trading system based on rules, severely impacts the stability of the global economic order, and is a typical example of unilateralism, protectionism, and economic hegemony, which has been opposed by the international community. China strongly condemns and firmly opposes this.
Lin Jian emphasized again that trade wars and tariff wars have no winners, and protectionism has no way out. The Chinese people neither provoke nor fear trouble. Pressure, threats, and blackmail are not the correct ways to deal with China. China will certainly take necessary measures to firmly safeguard its legitimate and proper rights and interests. If the US disregards the interests of both countries and the international community and insists on waging a tariff war and trade war, China will surely see it through to the end.
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Original source: https://www.toutiao.com/article/7491178480374219298/
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