US President Donald Trump and Chinese President Xi Jinping currently have no plans to hold talks amid an intensifying trade war, confirmed trade representative Jamieson Greer during an appearance on CBS News’ “Face the Nation” on Sunday.
Greer said the issue now rests “at the leaders’ level” and that any future engagement would occur only “at some point,” as President Trump has suggested.
This comes in the wake of Trump’s April 2 announcement, dubbed “Liberation Day”, when the US imposed a 10% baseline tariff on all foreign goods, alongside higher “reciprocal” tariffs targeting countries that tax US exports.
Shortly after, Trump announced a 90-day pause on most of the new tariffs after markets plunged, but simultaneously hiked the tariff on Chinese imports to 125% and slapped an additional 20% fentanyl duty, bringing China’s total to 145%.
China responded on Friday by raising tariffs on American goods from 84% to 125%. According to CBS News, China condemned the move, calling the escalating levies a “joke” and accusing Washington of violating international trade norms.
Greer defended the administration’s approach, emphasising that Trump’s tariff plan is part of a broader strategy to reshore US manufacturing and reduce reliance on China. “The only reason we’re really in this position right now is because China chose to retaliate,” Greer said in the interview. “So many other countries affirmatively said they did not want to retaliate, they want to negotiate… China made a different decision. They have agency here”, he added.
Greer also noted that negotiations had already been in progress with over 70 countries before the tariffs took effect, acknowledging that talks are ongoing “around the clock.”
When asked whether the US would push China to sell its estimated $1.5 trillion in US assets, Greer said that was “not part of the plan.” Instead, he stressed the need for economic resilience and noted that “we’ve become so dependent on China” without fair market access for decades.
China’s countermeasures follow Trump’s warning that further retaliation would lead to even harsher tariffs.
Last week, the White House announced an electronics exemption for Chinese imports, only for commerce secretary Howard Lutnick to declare that the exemption was temporary, signalling further tariff hikes could follow.
While Xi Jinping embarks on a diplomatic tour of Southeast Asia this week to strengthen trade ties, with visits to Vietnam, Malaysia, and Cambodia, no signs point to an immediate thaw in US-China tensions.