Meanwhile, on Wednesday, the U.S. is expected to double tariffs on steel and aluminum to 50%, a move that will affect China.

On Tuesday, White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt said that U.S. President Donald Trump and Chinese President Xi Jinping will speak by phone this week to discuss trade matters.

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“There will be a leader-to-leader conversation very soon,” she said, as both countries have accused each other in recent days of violating the recently reached bilateral moratorium in Geneva.

Washington has repeatedly mentioned the expected exchange in recent days, but Beijing has remained silent on the matter. Nevertheless, the White House spokesperson said Trump “has a good relationship with the president of China.”

“I can assure you that the administration is actively monitoring China’s compliance with the Geneva trade agreement. I know that, as far as the United States is concerned, we have upheld the agreed terms, and our administration officials remain in contact with their Chinese counterparts,” Leavitt added, referring to the deal reached in early May.

Last week, however, Trump accused China—without providing details—of violating the Geneva agreement, in which both parties committed to reducing tariffs through August.

Beijing responded Tuesday, arguing that it was Washington that breached the agreement by imposing what it described as “extreme suppression” measures, such as new restrictions on chips and the cancellation of student visas for Chinese nationals announced over the past week.

Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Lin Jian also said he “has no information” about the anticipated call, which Washington hopes will help break the deadlock.

On Wednesday, the United States will double tariffs on steel and aluminum to 50%, a move that will affect China, the second-largest aluminum supplier to the U.S. economy.

Meanwhile, Leavitt confirmed that U.S. Trade Representative Jamieson Greer sent a letter to trade partners as a “friendly reminder” that the early July deadline set by Washington for activating its so-called “reciprocal tariffs” is approaching.

“This letter was simply a reminder to those countries that the deadline is near and that the president expects good deals. We are on track to achieve them,” said the White House press secretary, who urged against interpreting the letter as a sign that Trump is dissatisfied with the pace of trade talks.

“The president has been very direct with our trade partners in his conversations with them, including foreign leaders, emphasizing the need to reach agreements with the United States on the tariff agenda. He firmly believes in this and, as we’ve seen, is not afraid to use tariffs to protect our industries and our workers—but he wants these agreements to be tailor-made,” she concluded.

The tariffs in question were announced on April 2, known as “Liberation Day.” A week later, on April 9, Trump announced a 90-day tariff truce to allow time for bilateral agreements to be negotiated.

Although the U.S. Court of International Trade, a federal court, blocked the tariffs last week, a Court of Appeals lifted the injunction, giving the administration’s tariff policy a reprieve by keeping them in effect.

teleSUR/ JF

Source: EFE

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