Trump holds firm on China tariffs as trade talks loom

[WORLD] US President Donald Trump stated on Wednesday that he would not consider lowering tariffs on Chinese imports to initiate trade talks with Beijing, ahead of high-level discussions scheduled to take place soon in Switzerland. At the same time, the US Commerce Department announced plans to ease certain restrictions on the export of advanced semiconductor chips to China.

This shift in semiconductor policy comes as US technology companies, facing mounting pressure, argue that the current export controls are too stringent and could stifle American innovation and global competitiveness. Industry leaders, including CEOs from prominent chip manufacturers, have privately urged the administration to relax some trade barriers, citing the risk of losing long-term market share in China, one of the world’s largest consumers of semiconductor technology.

When asked by reporters if he was open to reducing tariffs to facilitate negotiations, Trump firmly replied, "no." He also emphasized that addressing the flow of fentanyl into the United States would be a key topic of discussion in the upcoming talks, which will be led by Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent and US Trade Representative Jamieson Greer.

Fentanyl, a synthetic opioid responsible for tens of thousands of overdose deaths in the US each year, has long been a contentious issue in US-China relations. While Beijing has occasionally cracked down on producers, US officials accuse Chinese chemical suppliers of continuing to fuel the opioid crisis by providing precursor materials to Mexican drug cartels. The forthcoming talks will be the first to directly link this issue to broader trade discussions, signaling a strategic shift by the Trump administration.

Trump’s comments came during the swearing-in ceremony of David Perdue as the new US ambassador to China. This followed Bessent’s testimony to the House Financial Services Committee, where he revealed that he had signed an order to "identify Chinese entities involved in the fentanyl trade," with the list expected to be made public in the coming days.

Analysts believe the timing of these announcements—consolidating policies on trade, technology, and narcotics—indicates a calculated strategy to strengthen the US negotiating position. "The administration is playing multidimensional chess," said Claudia Jacobson, a senior fellow at the Center for Strategic and International Studies. "By linking fentanyl enforcement to trade, they are creating pressure points that could lead to concessions in other areas."

In response, China’s Commerce Ministry issued a cautious statement, reiterating its call for “mutually beneficial solutions,” but refrained from directly commenting on the tariffs or the semiconductor export measures. Experts suggest that Beijing may be waiting to gauge the impact of the forthcoming fentanyl entity list before intensifying its rhetoric, as domestic economic challenges have made stability a key concern for Chinese leadership.