Trump floats cutting China tariffs substantially in trade deal

Attendees at the Lenovo Group Ltd. booth at the MWC Shanghai event in Shanghai, China, on Thursday, June 29, 2023. Trump has made exceptions on China tariffs for computers and popular consumer electronics. - Bloomberg

WASHINGTON: President Donald Trump said he plans to be "very nice” to China in any trade talks and that tariffs will drop if the two countries can reach a deal, a sign he may be backing down from his tough stance on Beijing amid market volatility.

"It will come down substantially but it won’t be zero,” Trump said Tuesday (April 22) in Washington, following earlier comments from Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent that the standoff was unsustainable. Trump added that "we’re going to be very nice and they’re going to be very nice, and we’ll see what happens.”