WASHINGTON—In response to reports that the Chinese regime is warning other countries against making deals with the United States that could be detrimental to China, the White House highlighted the importance of the American economy globally.
“The numbers and the sheer number of countries that have reached out to the United States and reached out to this administration to cut good trade deals speak for themselves,” White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt said in response to a question from The Epoch Times during the press briefing at the White House on April 22.
“The entire world knows that they need the United States of America, and they want to do business here, and so we'll stay focused on cutting good trade deals on behalf of the American worker.”
Beijing officials warned on Monday that any deals made between nations that could damage the Chinese economy would be met with swift retaliation. The regime’s commerce ministry vowed to defend China’s economic security using undisclosed threats.
Trade tensions have risen between the United States and China in recent weeks, after President Donald Trump imposed a series of tariffs that now total 145 percent on goods coming from China. The two countries have exchanged tariff increases.
On April 2, Trump paused reciprocal tariffs levied on nations around the globe for 90 days, but those imposed on China remained in effect.
“The president and the administration are setting the stage for a deal with China,” the press secretary said, adding that negotiations are “moving in the right direction.”
While seeking to balance the multibillion-dollar trade deficit with China, Trump is also demanding that the communist regime stop facilitating the fentanyl epidemic by providing precursor chemicals and materials to cartels in Mexico, who then smuggle the drugs into the United States.
