Feb 04, 2025 03:55 AM IST
China had said that Trump’s tariffs would “inevitably affect and damage future bilateral cooperation on drug control”.
US President Donald Trump will speak with his Chinese counterpart Xi Jinping “within the next couple of days,” The White House said on Monday.
The conversation will mark the first major diplomatic exchange as the two superpowers seek to avoid a larger trade war. Trump imposed a 10 percent tariff on goods from China to address what he termed a “national emergency” over immigration and fentanyl.
Trump threatened to increase tariffs further on Chinese imports even as he paused levies on Mexico after talks with Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum. The country promised to reinforce its border with the United States in exchange for a temporary reprieve from US tariffs.
“China hopefully is going to stop sending us fentanyl, and if they’re not, the tariffs are going to go substantially higher. China will be dealt with,” Trump said on Monday.
‘So much is at stake’
China’s Ambassador to the United Nations, Fu Cong, said on Monday that the upcoming Security Council meeting in two weeks could be a “very good opportunity” for Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi and US Secretary of State Marco Rubio to hold a dialogue on bilateral issues.
“I do hope that despite all the rhetoric that we have heard from the American politicians, we can take a constructive and – I will emphasize – a professional approach to our work here in the United Nations. So much is at stake,” Reuters quoted Fu as saying.
The Chinese diplomat also said that Trump’s decision to impose tariffs was “unwarranted” and violated the rules of the World Trade Organization (WTO). “So that’s why China is filing a complaint at this WTO,” he added,
Fu also called for bilateral cooperation on combating climate change, drugs, terrorism and Artificial Intelligence (AI). “If China and the U.S. can work together jointly, I’m sure we will be able to solve many problems and make the world a better place to live,” he said.
When Reuters contacted the US State Department, it did not respond to requests for comments on China’s proposal for talks along the sidelines of the UNSC meeting.
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