China does not want to engage in a trade with the United States, and has posed a "very moderated response" to President Donald Trump's call for upwards of $60 billion in tariffs against the Asian country, Secretary of Commerce Wilbur Ross said Tuesday.
"Well, I think China knows they don't want to have a trade war with us," Ross told Fox Business' "Mornings With Maria" host Maria Bartiromo. "So, I think it is a very moderated response, probably an appropriate response from their point of view."
China last week announced plans for reciprocal tariffs on $3 billion of imports from the U.S., including products from steel to pork, after Trump ordered U.S. Trade Representative Robert Lighthizer to levy tariffs on Chinese imports.
"What they've done with the $3 billion is they targeted politically sensitive targets," Ross said of China's move.
Meanwhile, South Korea has agreed to a deal to stick to a quota of steel exports to the United States in order to be exempt from tariffs, while the United States and China negotiate.
Ross told Bartiromo that the U.S. agricultural community had concerns their relationships with South Korea could be disrupted, and other parts of the business community had other worries, but none are true.
"The real key is it is a peaceful deal, a negotiated deal that works for both sides, that accomplishes our purpose about reducing the steel and aluminum exports to us," he said. "Thirty percent is a big reduction, and it's about what we would have accomplished with the tariff, had the tariffs instead gone on."
The real template, he added, is that the United States is ending up with "reasonable, negotiated deals," rather than trade warfare.
"We are prepared to go as extreme in action as needed," said Ros. "Hopefully people will be logical and we'll have negotiated deals."
Steps to protect intellectual property rights are being taken to protect U.S. interests for the future, while deals on aluminum and automobiles are to protect the present, he added.
"Look at the [South] Korea deal," he said. "I think in general the way people should judge this president is by what he achieves, not by what they fear he might not be able to do. . . people have to judge by results, not fantasies."
Ross also discussed the tariff issues between the United States and the European Union, telling Bartiromo discussions are still continuing.
"We are making some progress," he said. "We don't have a deal yet. We have a long ways to go. But it is much more constructive dialogue than we've ever had before."
He also commented about the ongoing work on NAFTA, telling Bartiromo that the current political calendar is "very tricky" as Mexico has its presidential election at the beginning of July, Canada has provincial elections in June, and the United States' general election is in November.
"Since NAFTA was enacted, our cumulative trade deficit with Mexico is $1 trillion with a tee," he said. "That is a big number."
Sandy Fitzgerald ✉
Sandy Fitzgerald has more than three decades in journalism and serves as a general assignment writer for Newsmax covering news, media, and politics.
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