WASHINGTON, April 9. /TASS/. China wants to sign a trade deal with the United States, US President Donald Trump told a fundraising event in Washington.
He said Washington will levy a 104% tariff on Chinese goods until the trade deal is signed.
"I think they'll make a deal at some point. China will. They want to make a deal. They really do. They want to make a deal. They just don't know how to get it started because they're proud people," Trump said.
"They [countries] don't want tariffs on themselves. And it's very simple: we're making deals, and people are paying tariffs. Countries are paying tariffs right now: China is paying a 104% tariff. Think of it, 104% now it sounds ridiculous, but they charged us for many items - 100% 125%. Many countries have, they've ripped us off left and right, but now it's our turn to do the ripping," he added.
In his words, China is manipulating its currency to mitigate the effects of US measures.
"You got to hand it to them. They're manipulating their currency today as an offset against the tariffs," the US leader said.
On April 2, US President Donald Trump announced customs duties on products from 185 countries and territories. Universal tariffs of 10% came into force on April 5. Individual ones will be in effect from April 9. Additionally, the United States has imposed a 25% tariff on all car imports, effective April 3.