President Donald Trump said he would impose further tariffs on China if the country does not make a trade deal.
The president’s remarks come over a month after he announced that a “phase 1” deal had been reached. But so far it hasn’t been finalized.
“China’s going to have to make a deal that I like,” Trump said during a cabinet meeting at the White House on Nov. 19. “If they don’t, that’s it.”
Some analysts speculate that a deal could be reached by the end of this month. Dr. Frank Xie, a professor in business at the University of South Carolina Aiken and writer for The Epoch Times, said the negotiations are unpredictable.
He said China wants to drag this out.
“They want to see that the United States lifts all the tariffs on Chinese exports, and they probably overestimated their ability in negotiations … too optimistic,” said Xie in an interview with NTD News.
Tariffs Provide More Than Leverage
Without tariffs, Xie said, the Chinese Communist Party would have no incentive to stop its unfair trade practices.
In other words, tariffs are like an enforcement mechanism.
“The reason the United States government insists on this enforcement mechanism is because nobody can trust this [Chinese] government. This Chinese government—this communist government—is not trustworthy.”
Xie referred to the Hong Kong protests as an example. The regime promised the territory’s citizens semi-autonomy until 2047. However, since the protests began it has escalated its aggression against them.
Xie said while it’s good that the United States and China say it’s possible to sign something, he is skeptical that a trade deal can even be reached, considering the regime’s history.
