US President Donald Trump, alongside Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent (R), speaks during a bilateral meeting with Prime Minister of Norway Jonas Gahr Store in the Cabinet Room of the White House in Washington, DC, on April 24, 2025.
Saul Loeb | Afp | Getty Images
President Donald Trump said in a social media post Friday that an 80% tariff on Chinese goods “seems right” ahead of key trade talks this weekend.
“80% Tariff on China seems right! Up to Scott B,” Trump said in a Truth Social post. Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent is one of the U.S. officials set to speak with counterparts from China at a meeting in Switzerland.
An 80% levy would be a sharp reduction from the 145% tariff currently facing many Chinese goods. However, that number could still be seen as prohibitive to trade, and is much higher than the 10% baseline tariff in the U.S.-U.K. trade agreement that was announced Thursday.
It is unclear if Trump wants the 80% rate to be the long-term tariff for China or should be viewed as a step in negotiations.
China is seen as the key hurdle in Trump’s effort to shake up the global trading environment. While many other major countries saw the previously announced tariffs partially paused on April 9, tensions rose between the White House and Beijing until both countries had imposed a tariff of more than 100% on goods.
China is one of the U.S. largest trading partners. In 2024, the U.S. exported $143.5 billion in goods to China, while importing $438.9 billion, according to the Office of the U.S. Trade Representative.
In another Truth Social post on Friday morning, Trump said, “CHINA SHOULD OPEN UP ITS MARKET TO USA — WOULD BE SO GOOD FOR THEM!!! CLOSED MARKETS DON’T WORK ANYMORE!!!””
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