A cargo ship full of shipping containers is seen at the port of Oakland as trade tensions escalate over US tariffs, in Oakland, California, US, on March 6, 2025. Photo: IC

US President Donald Trump on Thursday (US time) floated the idea that the US expects to reach a "deal" with China and signaled a potential end to the tit-for-tat tariff hikes between the US and China, Reuters reported, even as his administration rolled out more aggressive measures to undermine China-US ties with plans to levy a port fee on Chinese-built vessels. Chinese analysts said faced with the wide questioning and opposition, the US administration is facing increasing pressure from its reckless moves and the tariff "numbers game" cannot be sustainable, and the US needs to show more sincerity with real actions if it wants to start any talks. 

Trump on Thursday said he expects to make a trade deal with China, though he offered no specifics or indications of how talks would get underway with the two largest economies, Reuters reported. 

In a separate report, Trump on Thursday signaled a potential end to the tariff hikes between the US and China, and that a deal over the fate of social media platform TikTok may have to wait, according to Reuters. 

"I don't want them to go higher because at a certain point you make it where people don't buy," Trump told reporters about tariffs at the White House.

"So, I may not want to go higher or I may not want to even go up to that level. I may want to go to less because you know you want people to buy and, at a certain point, people aren't gonna buy."

Trump's remarks coincided with United States Trade Representative's announcement on fees on Chinese-built vessels and reported US efforts in pressuring other countries to curb trade with China in negotiations over US tariffs.

On Thursday, the Ministry of Commerce said that China has noticed that some of its exports to the US are now subject to cumulative tariffs of up to 245 percent under various pretexts but it will ignore the "meaningless number games." 

The ministry emphasized that such move has blatantly exposed how the US has instrumentalized and weaponized tariffs with utter irrationality.

MOFCOM said it has maintained working-level communication with its US counterpart.

"The Trump administration is now facing questions, doubts and lawsuits here and there across the US to rework its tariff policy on China, while market reactions and the performance of US treasuries have indicated the tariff 'numbers game' cannot be sustainable," Li Haidong, a professor at the China Foreign Affairs University, told the Global Times on Friday.

Zhou Mi, a senior research fellow at the Chinese Academy of International Trade and Economic Cooperation, told the Global Times on Friday that the fact the Trump administration is signaling the possibility of reaching some sorts of deal with China while it continues to hurt China's interests reflected a belief within the administration that tariffs can pressure China to make concessions.

"However, it is already clear that such a thinking and approach is not acceptable to China, as there is no sincerity," Zhou said.

The Chinese government has always stated that the door for negotiation is open but any talks must be carried out on the equal and fair basis, the expert said.

Tariffs face wide opposition 

Trump's remarks came amid a market correction in the US, vocal criticism by public American politicians and officials as well as a visit to China by Nvidia CEO Jensen Huang during which the US tech mogul said "the China market is very important to us."

An aggressive US tariff policy will trigger a significant slowdown in the US economy this year and next, with the median probability of recession in the next 12 months approaching 50 percent, according to economists polled by Reuters.

On Thursday, the Dow Jones Industrial Average dropped by 1.33 percent, while the S&P 500 inches up by 0.13 percent, and the Nasdaq Composite inches down by 0.13 percent.

On Wednesday, California Governor Gavin Newsom filed a lawsuit challenging the Trump administration's spate of tariffs that have upended global trade, BBC reported, noting that California is the first US state to file legal action against the Trump administration over the tariffs.

Kentucky Governor Andy Beshear also raised alarm bells over tariffs, The Hill reported on Wednesday.

In an interview with China Media Group published on Friday, Zhao Zhongxiu, president of the University of International Business and Economics, pointed out that the US is trying to get a good bargain from China by its extreme pressure tactics.

The US inventory level is a factor. As the inventory dries up in the next three to six months, the US will be facing soaring inflation, which will be a situation the US cannot control through its blackmailing tactic, Zhao said, adding that the global production system cannot be separated from that of China's.