Earth Science News
TRADE WARS
US says trade row with China could ease after Trump-Xi talks
US says trade row with China could ease after Trump-Xi talks
by AFP Staff Writers
Washington (AFP) June 1, 2025

A logjam in the trade talks between the United States and China could be broken once Presidents Donald Trump and Xi Jinping speak, US officials said Sunday -- a conversation they said could happen soon.

Trump on Friday accused Beijing of violating a deal reached last month in Geneva to temporarily lower staggeringly high tariffs the world's two biggest economies had imposed on each other, in a pause to last 90 days.

China's slow-walking on export license approvals for rare earths and other elements needed to make cars and chips have fueled US frustration, The Wall Street Journal reported Friday -- a concern since confirmed by US officials.

But US Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent seemed to take the pressure down a notch on Sunday, telling CBS's "Face the Nation" that the gaps could soon be bridged.

"I'm confident that when President Trump and Party Chairman Xi have a call that this will be ironed out," Bessent said, however noting that China was "withholding some of the products that they agreed to release during our agreement."

When asked if rare earths were one of those products, Bessent said, "Yes."

"Maybe it's a glitch in the Chinese system. Maybe it's intentional. We'll see after the president speaks with" Xi, he said.

On when a Trump-Xi call could take place, Bessent said: "I believe we will see something very soon."

Kevin Hassett, director of the White House's National Economic Council told ABC that the call could happen "this week" but that he had no confirmation of a scheduled time.

Since Trump returned to the presidency, he has slapped sweeping tariffs on most US trading partners, with especially high rates on Chinese imports.

New tit-for-tat levies on both sides reached three digits before the de-escalation this month, where Washington agreed to temporarily reduce additional tariffs on Chinese imports from 145 percent to 30 percent.

China, meanwhile, lowered its added duties from 125 percent to 10 percent.

Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick told "Fox News Sunday" that China was "slow-rolling the deal," adding: "We are taking certain actions to show them what it feels like on the other side of that equation."

"Our president understands what to do. He's going to go work it out," Lutnick said.

Lutnick also said that a US court battle over Trump's tariff strategy -- one court's ruling to block the tariffs has been stayed pending an appeal -- would ultimately end with a win for the president.

"Tariffs are not going away," Lutnick said.

- 'We've got to be ready' -

Separate from the China deal, Trump said Friday he would double sector-specific tariffs on steel and aluminum to 50 percent starting June 4 -- sparking ire from the European Union, which said it would retaliate.

Hassett said China's dumping of low-cost steel was hurting US industry -- which in turn was hindering US military preparedness.

"The bottom line is that we've got to be ready in case things don't happen the way we want, because if we have cannons but not cannonballs, then we can't fight a war," Hassett told "This Week."

"And if we don't have steel, then the US isn't ready, and we're not preparing ourselves for something," he added.

"We have to have a steel industry that's ready for American defense."

Related Links
Global Trade News

Subscribe Free To Our Daily Newsletters
Tweet

RELATED CONTENT
The following news reports may link to other Space Media Network websites.
TRADE WARS
US vows to 'aggressively' oust Chinese students
Washington (AFP) May 28, 2025
President Donald Trump's administration on Wednesday vowed to "aggressively" revoke visas of Chinese students, one of the largest sources of revenue for American universities, in his latest broadside against US higher education. The announcement by Secretary of State Marco Rubio marked a show of defiance after China criticized his decision a day earlier to suspend visa appointments for students worldwide at least temporarily. The Trump administration has already sought to end permission for all ... read more

TRADE WARS
Japan PM's office to accept Fukushima soil

Recycling contaminated soil from Fukushima: Japan's dilemma

UK retailer suspends Labubu toy sales amid safety fears

Syria and Chinese company sign memorandum on investment

TRADE WARS
Gold and precious metals traced to Earth's core in Hawaiian lava

World first 3D printed soft robots walk off the printer fully formed

Virtual Reality Could Revolutionize Recycling Workforce Training

Laser technique revolutionizes ultra-high temperature ceramic manufacturing for space, defense applications

TRADE WARS
UK to build new reservoirs as climate change sparks drought fears

AI constellation to monitor UK water networks with Quub tech

EU and six member states ratify UN treaty on high seas

Top UK water supplier hit with record fine over pollution

TRADE WARS
Growing Arctic military presence worries Finland's reindeer herders

Biodiversity boom in Antarctic soils driven by microbial cooperation

The surprising climate power of penguin poo

Krypton-81 Dating Achieved for Antarctic Ice by USTC Researchers

TRADE WARS
Mango deal sweetens ties between Bangladesh and China

Ancient bread rises again as Turkey recreates 5,000-year-old loaf

Invasive species cost trillions in damages: study

Rare wild cattle herded in Cambodia by helicopter

TRADE WARS
Around Lake Tanganyika, Burundians struggle with endless flooding

Massive lava columns in Kilauea volcano's latest display in Hawaii

Thousands remain isolated as floods ease in eastern Australia

Indonesia quake off Sumatra damages more than 100 houses

TRADE WARS
Women in Sudan's Darfur at 'near-constant risk' of sexual violence: MSF

Jihadists ambush Mozambique army outpost, killing soldiers: military sources

Along Ghana's vanishing coast, climate change swallows history, homes

IS-claimed attack in Niger kills soldiers; Jihadists ambush Mozambique army outpost

TRADE WARS
Overlooked cells might explain the human brain's huge storage capacity

Orangutan Communication Reveals Surprising Complexity Once Thought Uniquely Human

Ancient Hands Reveal Diverse Gripping Abilities in Early Hominins

Hormone cycles shape the structure and function of key memory regions in the brain

Subscribe Free To Our Daily Newsletters




The content herein, unless otherwise known to be public domain, are Copyright 1995-2024 - Space Media Network. All websites are published in Australia and are solely subject to Australian law and governed by Fair Use principals for news reporting and research purposes. AFP, UPI and IANS news wire stories are copyright Agence France-Presse, United Press International and Indo-Asia News Service. ESA news reports are copyright European Space Agency. All NASA sourced material is public domain. Additional copyrights may apply in whole or part to other bona fide parties. All articles labeled "by Staff Writers" include reports supplied to Space Media Network by industry news wires, PR agencies, corporate press officers and the like. Such articles are individually curated and edited by Space Media Network staff on the basis of the report's information value to our industry and professional readership. Advertising does not imply endorsement, agreement or approval of any opinions, statements or information provided by Space Media Network on any Web page published or hosted by Space Media Network. General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) Statement Our advertisers use various cookies and the like to deliver the best ad banner available at one time. All network advertising suppliers have GDPR policies (Legitimate Interest) that conform with EU regulations for data collection. By using our websites you consent to cookie based advertising. If you do not agree with this then you must stop using the websites from May 25, 2018. Privacy Statement. Additional information can be found here at About Us.