Tariffs on Chinese Imports to Stay for ‘Substantial Period of Time,’ Says Trump

President Donald Trump doesn't plan to remove tariffs on Chinese imports, even as the U.S. and China work toward a trade accord, he told reporters Wednesday. “We're not talking about removing them,” he said of the tariffs. He wants to leave them “for a substantial period of time because we have to make sure that if we do the deal with China, that China lives by the deal," he said. China historically has had “a lot of problems living by certain deals," he said. Negotiations are “coming along nicely," Trump said. Top U.S. representatives will travel to China this weekend to “further the deal," he said. The U.S. is taking in "billions and billions of dollars right now in tariff money, and for a period of time that will stay," he said. A Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson sidestepped some questions, and hopes "the two sides will follow the important instructions of the two heads of state and reach a mutually beneficial agreement on the basis of mutual respect," he said Thursday. "Consultations have made substantive progress." U.S. Trade Representative Robert Lighthizer declined repeatedly in congressional appearances to commit publicly to whether a trade deal hinges on lifting tariffs or keeping them in place to enforce China's compliance (see 1903130036).