White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt said during a press briefing Tuesday that "the ball is in China's court" in the current tariff war.
Leavitt said that stance comes from President Donald Trump, with whom she spoke before meeting with the media.
"China needs to make a deal with us," Leavitt said. "We don't have to make a deal with them. There's no difference between China and any other country, except they are much larger."
Since Trump implemented an effective 145% tariff, China halted deliveries of jets it had ordered from Boeing and ended its shipments of critical rare earth minerals to U.S. manufacturers and defense contractors.
Leavitt said it's time to agree on a long-term, mutually beneficial trade plan.
"China wants what we have, what every country wants, what we have — the American consumer," Leavitt said. "Or to put it another way, they need our money. So the President, again, has made it quite clear that he's open to a deal with China, but China needs to make a deal with the United States of America."
Jim Mishler ✉
Jim Mishler, a seasoned reporter, anchor and news director, has decades of experience covering crime, politics and environmental issues.
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