[By Guancha Observer Network, Ruan Jiaqi]

On the 22nd, US Treasury Secretary Bessent was reported to have admitted to investors that the current deadlock in the tariff standoff between China and the US is "unsustainable," and stated that he expects a "short-term" easing trend after which "the first to blink" President Trump once again released signals to "cool down."

According to an Associated Press report on the 23rd, on Tuesday (the 22nd), Trump said in the Oval Office of the White House that he would not take "strong measures" against China during the tariff negotiations, and expressed "optimism" that a deal could be reached "quite quickly," significantly reducing the massive tariffs of 145% imposed on Chinese imports.

When asked if he would adopt a "hard stance" toward China, Trump denied it, saying: "No, I wouldn't say 'I will be tough on China.' We will treat them very friendly, and they will also be friendly, and then we will see what happens."

Continuing his baseless claims, he added while answering another question that if no trade agreement is reached with China, "we just need to set the (tariff) numbers."

USA Today reported that despite the formal trade negotiations between the two countries not yet having started, Trump still presented an air of certainty, saying that this agreement would be fair for everyone. And he believed that the negotiation process would soon be completed.

In subsequent questions, Trump reiterated his attitude of not wanting to continue increasing tariffs on China. When talking about the 145% tariff on China, he claimed that the tariff rate on Chinese imports would not remain at its current level, as "a 145% tariff is very high but won't stay that way forever."

When pressed further on how much the tariff rate would decrease, Trump replied that "it will drop significantly. But it won't go to zero." He then repeated the absurd argument that "China has taken advantage of the U.S. in zero-tariff trade in the past."

On April 22nd local time, Trump gave an interview at the White House. USA Today video screenshot.

Axios News Network noticed that shortly before Trump made these remarks, the two China-related tariff messages released by the U.S. government on the same day both conveyed a softening of the government's stance.

Firstly, Treasury Secretary Bessent, considered the main negotiator of the tariff talks, issued warnings about the tense trade situation between China and the U.S. earlier that day in a closed-door speech, frankly admitting to investors that the current deadlock was "unsustainable."

According to media reports, at a private investment meeting hosted by J.P. Morgan in Washington, Bessent said, "Under the current level of tariff rates, no one thinks the current situation can last."

While expressing concerns, Bessent also tried to reassure investors. Bessent said he expected the trade war initiated by Trump against China to ease "very shortly." However, he also admitted that formal negotiations with China had not yet begun, and that this negotiation would be a "protracted battle."

A participant in the meeting said that Bessent described the current situation as "essentially a trade embargo" in his speech, while insisting that the purpose of U.S. tariffs on China was "not to decouple from China." He also believed that the prospects of easing tensions between these two economic superpowers should "ease the world and markets."

According to CNBC, as soon as Bessent finished speaking, stocks, which had rebounded somewhat from the previous day's selling spree, surged significantly. The major U.S. stock indexes rose more than 2% in afternoon trading that day.

When repeatedly questioned about his comments on Bessent's remarks, Trump repeatedly evaded direct answers, using vague phrases like "our relations with China are good" and "we have things they want" to dodge reporters. The Guardian believes that Trump was avoiding confirming Bessent's statement that "the current deadlock in the tariff standoff between China and the U.S. is unsustainable."

Axios News Network noted that earlier in the day, White House press secretary Letvit's response echoed Bessent's positive expectations for negotiating with China.

Although neither of them indicated that formal negotiations with China had begun, Letvit still said that Trump wanted people to know that the U.S. government was "making smooth progress towards a potential trade deal with China" and was "laying the groundwork" for a potential agreement.

She claimed, "Things are going in the right direction."

On the same day, the tone of all three was more moderate, Axios News Network believed that the White House was cooling down the trade war that was pitting the two sides against each other, as this trade war had significantly lowered U.S. economic growth and plunged financial markets into a downturn.

Bloomberg also pointed out that to calm the market, White House officials were urgently eager to show progress in trade agreements. White House press secretary Letvit hastily announced at the press conference on Tuesday that 18 countries had submitted trade proposals to the White House, and Trump's trade team would meet with 34 countries this week to discuss possible agreements.

But when it came to actual negotiation progress, Letvit was vague. When pressed on the most talked-about progress in negotiations with China, she avoided the question altogether.

Previously, CNBC pointed out that although China had stated that it would "no longer pay attention to the U.S. tariff number game," suggesting that it would no longer focus on imposing tariffs on American goods, some signs showed that a series of non-tariff restrictive measures were becoming options for countermeasures against the U.S. Previously, China had expanded export controls on rare earth minerals and listed several American companies as unreliable entities and antitrust investigation targets. The latest reports on Boeing continued to make the U.S. side "uneasy."

The report cited analysts' general expectation that China's subsequent non-tariff policy tools remained strong. Senior Economist Xu Jianwei of Natixis Greater China believed: "Ultimately, only when a country has suffered enough self-inflicted harm can it consider softening its stance and truly return to the negotiating table."

On the 15th, the Financial Times also quoted Julian Evans-Pritchard, chief China economist at Capital Economics, who added: "Judging from the market reaction alone, I think the U.S. is feeling stronger pain now... The U.S. is under greater pressure to sit at the negotiating table."

Regarding the U.S. initiation of tariff frictions, on April 16, Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Lin Jian emphasized at a regular press conference that this tariff war was initiated by the U.S., and China took necessary countermeasures to protect its legitimate rights and interests and uphold international fairness and justice, which was entirely reasonable and legal.

Lin Jian stressed that China's position has always been clear: there is no winner in a tariff war or a trade war. China does not want to fight, but it is not afraid to fight. If the U.S. really wants to solve problems through dialogue and negotiation, it should stop its extreme pressure tactics, stop threats and blackmail, and engage in dialogue with China on an equal, respectful, and mutually beneficial basis.

This article is an exclusive contribution from the Guancha Observer Network and cannot be reprinted without permission.

Original source: https://www.toutiao.com/article/7496309480528036393/

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