‘Seems right’: Trump’s huge China call

“China should open up its market to USA – would be so good for them!!! Closed markets don’t work anymore!!!” Mr Trump said in a Truth Social post.

“80% Tariff on China seems right! Up to Scott B,” he added, referring to Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent.

Mr Trump floated the tariff figure just as Mr Bessent and chief trade negotiator Jamieson Greer were prepping to meet their Chinese counterparts in Switzerland for the high-stake talks.

It comes after sources close to the negotiation told The New York Post on Thursday that the Trump administration was considering a plan to slash the current 145 per cent tariff to as low as 50 per cent.

The trade war has been escalating ever since Trump announced his “Liberation Day” tariffs on April 2 – prompting China to retaliate with levies of its own.

The tariffs on each other’s goods have been mounting since then, with the US tariffs against China currently at 145 per cent and China tariffs on the US at 125 per cent.

This story originally appeared in the New York Post and was reproduced with permission.