National Economic Council (NEC) Director Kevin Hassett said on Wednesday that he was “very optimistic” about the potential for a trade deal with China, echoing President Trump’s tone shift in recent days.
In an interview on Fox News’s “The Ingraham Angle,” Brian Kilmeade asked how close the U.S. is “to even starting to talk to China again,” remarking on the more positive tone from the president in the last two days.
“The president will announce when talks happen — if they happen,” Hassett responded, noting that whatever happens with China, “the president will decide, and he’ll announce it to the world first.”
But the White House is optimistic, Hassett said.
“It’s clear that the president and our team are open to talks. The Chinese have signaled that they’re open to talks,” Hassett said. “In addition, the president has mentioned that American government officials and Chinese government officials are talking every day about many things, and often current events come up.”
“But we’re very optimistic about China, and especially optimistic about just about everybody else,” he added.
Trump sought to quell concerns about the trade war with China, saying on Wednesday that the 145 percent duty he slapped on Beijing is “very high” while signaling a sense of optimism about the potential for a deal with Chinese President Xi Jinping.
“We’re dealing with a lot of countries right now and could be with China, but maybe we’ll make a special — you know, a deal — and we will see what it will be. Right now, it’s at 145 percent, that’s very high,” Trump said Wednesday, following remarks the day before when he suggested the China tariff could “come down substantially.”
Asked to respond to a Chinese government official who said the U.S. should stop “threatening and blackmailing China,” Trump insisted he had a good relationship with Xi.
“I have great relationships in China, with President Xi in particular, but China has been charging us massive tariffs for many years,” Trump said. “We’re going to get along great with China, I have no doubt about it.”
But Trump also gave no indication that the massive tariffs on Chinese goods would be going away anytime soon.