TIL Desk/World/Washington/ President Donald Trump said Friday he has not agreed to roll back tariffs on Chinese imports, dampening recent optimism for a major de-escalation in the US-China trade war. Amid a steady stream of conflicting reports, Trump’s remarks appeared to push back against Beijing’s claims that the two sides had agreed to remove tariffs in stages as part of a partial deal announced last month.
Hopes for progress in defusing trade tensions have driven global stocks higher this month, since an agreement would remove a major source of uncertainty in the world economy that is undercutting growth. But Trump again portrayed the dispute as a boon for the United States despite the tariffs paid by American companies and consumers.
“They would like to have a rollback. I haven’t agreed to anything,” Trump told reporters at the White House. “China would like to get somewhat of a rollback, not a complete rollback, because they know I won’t do it.” Beijing, however, said this week the two sides had already agreed to mutual tariff reductions.