Defiant Trump says he’s not considering ‘pause’ in tariffs

AFP | Washington

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US President Donald Trump said yesterday that he is not considering a pause on new, wide-ranging tariffs to allow for negotiations with other countries.

“We’re not looking at that. We have many, many countries that are coming to negotiate deals with us, and there are going to be fair deals,” he told reporters.

Trump also reiterated his threat of additional 50 percent duties on Chinese goods if Beijing did not retract its counter tariff plans by today.

Warning

“If China does not withdraw its 34 percent increase above their already long-term trading abuses by tomorrow, April 8th, 2025, the United States will impose ADDITIONAL Tariffs on China of 50 percent, effective April 9th,” Trump said in a Truth Social post.

As part of a broader plan to impose “reciprocal” tariffs on countries with which the US has large trade deficits, Trump last week unveiled a 34 percent additional tariff on China, taking effect Wednesday.

Beijing ’s counter tariff matches Washington’s figure, and is set to kick in on April 10. These will stack on existing Chinese duties too.

Countermeasures

The world’s second biggest economy has also issued other countermeasures, including export controls on rare earth elements. Since returning to the presidency, Trump has imposed 20 percent added duties on Chinese imports over Beijing’s alleged role in the fentanyl supply chain.