‘Ball is in China’s court’: Trump presses Beijing to make tariff offer

The White House also stated that “China needs to make a deal with us. We don’t have to make a deal with them”, amid escalating tariff tensions

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US President Donald Trump urged China to initiate trade talks amid escalating tariffs, emphasising the need for a deal, as both nations continue to raise trade barriers. Photo: Shutterstock

Published: 11:11am, 16 Apr 2025Updated: 11:48am, 16 Apr 2025

US President Donald Trump called on China to reach out to him to kick off negotiations aimed at resolving the escalating trade fight between the world’s two largest economies.

“The ball is in China’s court. China needs to make a deal with us. We don’t have to make a deal with them,” White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt said on Tuesday, reading what she said was a statement Trump dictated.

“There’s no difference between China and any other country except they are much larger, and China wants what we have, what every country wants, what we have – the American consumer – or to put another way, they need our money,” the statement continued.

The comments are a fresh sign the US and China continue to dig in their heels, indicating there is no end in sight to a fight that has seen both sides raise trade barriers to staggering levels.

China ordered airlines not to take further deliveries of Boeing jets, according to people familiar with the matter. It marked Beijing’s latest move to retaliate against Trump’s decision to hike levies to as high as 145 per cent on Chinese goods.

US President Donald Trump (centre) looks on during a cabinet meeting on April 10 in Washington. Photo: AFP

The US president criticised China in a social media post earlier on Tuesday, saying it “just reneged on the big Boeing deal” signed during his first administration.