Trump renews tariffs threat in China talks

washington — US President Donald Trump on Tuesday held out the possibility of an extension of the 90-day trade truce with China but made clear he would revert to tariffs if the two sides could not resolve their differences.

Trump said his team of trade advisers led by China trade hawk US Trade Representative Robert Lighthizer will determine whether a “REAL deal” with China was possible. “If it is, we will get it done,” Trump said in a Twitter post. “But if not remember, I am a Tariff Man.”

The Republican president indicated he would not be opposed to extending the 90day truce he and Chinese President Xi Jinping agreed on over the weekend. “The negotiations with China have already started. Unless extended, they will end 90 days from the date of our wonderful and very warm dinner with President Xi in Argentina,” Trump said on Twitter.

White House economic adviser Larry Kudlow said on Tuesday that a reduction in Chinese tariffs on US cars and agricultural and energy commodities would be a “litmus test” for whether US-China trade talks are on track to succeed. The US also expects China to promptly address structural issues including intellectual property theft and forced technology transfers, US officials have said.

“So, again this will be a real agreement again and not that we can accomplish everything in 90 days but we expect to make a lot of progress and President Trump will be directly involved,” Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin told Fox Business Network on Tuesday. —