President Donald Trump made it clear on Tuesday that the next move in trade discussions belongs to China, according to a statement read by White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt, as Trump intensifies efforts to correct what he sees as long-standing trade imbalances.
Though Leavitt noted that Trump’s stance toward China has already been made plain, she shared an additional comment directly from the president.
“The ball is in China’s court. China needs to make a deal with us. We don’t have to make a deal with them. There’s no difference between China and any other country, except they are much larger and China wants what we have — what every country wants, what we have: The American consumer,” Leavitt said, quoting Trump.
“Or to put another way, they need our money,” she continued, reinforcing the idea that the U.S. holds significant leverage.

Leavitt reiterated that Trump remains willing to negotiate but made clear that it’s up to Beijing to act. “So the president, again, has made it quite clear that he’s open to a deal with China. China needs to make a deal with the United States of America,” she added.
Beijing took notice of Trump’s recent “Liberation Day” declaration, which was met with a sharp and immediate response from the president last week.
“Based on the lack of respect that China has shown to the World’s Markets, I am hereby raising the Tariff charged to China by the United States of America to 125%, effective immediately,” Trump announced Wednesday on Truth Social.
He followed up by stating, “At some point, hopefully in the near future, China will realize that the days of ripping off the U.S.A., and other Countries, is no longer sustainable or acceptable,” before offering an incentive to nations choosing diplomacy over retaliation: a 90-day delay and a “substantially lowered Reciprocal Tariff during this period,” both to take effect “immediately.”
{Matzav.com}