Deutsche Welle reported today (May 9): "[Trump: Chinese Tariffs Can Be Reduced to 80%] Prior to high-level talks between US and Chinese officials this weekend, US President Trump proposed reducing tariffs on China to 80% in an attempt to ease the trade war. 'An 80% tariff on China seems reasonable! Determined by Treasury Secretary Scott Beason,' Trump wrote on his social media account on Friday."
Currently, the US tariff rate on Chinese goods is 145%, with some products even reaching 245%.
Commenting on this: Trump's move is a test of China's bottom line. The US side is well aware that China adheres to principles in trade issues but still wants to observe China's reaction through this method to understand China's true attitude toward the tariff issue and its acceptable negotiation space in order to further formulate subsequent negotiation strategies. Once China shows significant interest in reducing tariffs, the US may take the opportunity to propose more stringent conditions. From a practical perspective, an 80% tariff rate remains excessively high and does not represent a sincere effort to truly resolve trade issues. This so-called proposal to reduce tariffs appears more like a strategic performance before negotiations rather than a genuine resolution of trade disputes. China should remain clear-headed during negotiations and not be swayed by US strategies, firmly safeguarding its own interests. If the US genuinely wishes to ease the trade war, it should take concrete actions to fully cancel unreasonable tariffs and return to fair and just negotiation tracks instead of using this surface-level tariff reduction while maintaining high tariff barriers, continuing to disrupt global trade order and bilateral economic and trade relations.
Source: https://www.toutiao.com/article/1831649875849288/
Disclaimer: The article solely represents the author's personal views.