US President Donald Trump said that the tariffs imposed on Chinese goods are “not sustainable.” Tensions between Washington and Beijing remain high ahead of his planned meeting with Chinese President Xi Jinping in two weeks. After initially saying there was “no reason” to meet Xi, Trump confirmed the meeting will happen. This signals a potential easing of trade tensions.

Trump recently announced a 100 per cent tariff on all Chinese imports. He told Fox Business that such measures cannot continue indefinitely. “It’s not sustainable,” he said. “But that’s what the number is it could stand, but they forced me to do that.” He also expressed confidence, saying he expects things with China to “be fine” after the meeting.

China Always Seeks Advantage

“China is always looking for an edge,” Trump said. “I don’t know what’s going to happen. We’ll see what happens.” The trade dispute has pushed US import taxes on Chinese goods to as high as 145 per cent. This has raised concerns about a global economic slowdown. Both countries agreed to several 90-day truces, but the latest one will expire on 10 November unless extended.

Trump Demands a Fair Deal

Last week, Trump threatened to impose additional tariffs by 1 November. He also considered cancelling the meeting with Xi, which is set to take place on the sidelines of the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation summit in South Korea.

“I get along great with him,” Trump said of Xi. “I think we’re going to be fine with China, but we have to have a fair deal. It’s got to be fair.”

When asked about the risk of a trade war if no deal is reached, he said, “Well, you’re in one now. We have a 100 per cent tariff. If we didn’t have tariffs, we would be exposed as being a nothing.