White House faces major rift over China trade war – NYT
Photo: Donald Trump, President of the United States (Getty Images)
White House officials are divided over the trade war with China. They have not developed a unified position, The New York Times reports.
Several unnamed Trump administration officials told the outlet that a deep divide within the White House stems from disagreements over how the United States should handle China.
According to reports, the US launched its trade war with China before the various factions within the administration had time to align their positions, let alone decide which issues mattered most.
As a result, a lack of coordination emerged regarding the broader China strategy. Some officials went on television claiming that Trump’s tariffs on Beijing were intended to force the world's second-largest economy into a deal.
Others insisted the American President was trying to build a self-reliant US economy, one that would no longer depend on its main geopolitical rival, even if that meant abandoning $640 billion in bilateral trade in goods and services.
US-China trade war
The United States announced additional tariffs on goods from more than 180 countries several weeks ago. Tariffs against China were set at 34%.
After China imposed retaliatory tariffs on the US, President Donald Trump responded by tightening measures multiple times. As of now, the total US tariff rate on Chinese goods has reached 145%.
