Washington — President Trump said Monday during a meeting with Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese that he plans to visit China “fairly early next year.”
Mr. Trump said he still plans to meet with Chinese President Xi Jinping at the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation summit later this month in South Korea.
Earlier this month, the president threatened an additional 100% tariff on Chinese imports by early November, citing new Chinese export controls — marking a significant escalation in the U.S.-China trade war.
In his meeting with Albanese, Mr. Trump said the higher tariff rate would go into effect Nov. 1, if the U.S. and Beijing can’t reach a deal. But he expressed optimism about the prospects of an agreement, telling reporters that China has been very “respectful” and is paying the U.S. “tremendous amounts of money” in tariffs.
Tariffs on Chinese imports currently stand at 30%. Mr. Trump has said the U.S. would also impose export controls on “any and all critical software” starting next month.
China is the United States’ third-largest trading partner after Mexico and Canada, with the U.S. importing $438.9 billion worth of Chinese goods and China buying $143.5 billion in U.S. goods last year, according to federal statistics.
