The administration of US President Donald Trump plans to convince more than 70 countries to isolate China’s economy in exchange for the elimination of duties, informed sources told the Wall Street Journal (WSJ). According to them, during the talks, Washington will demand that Chinese companies be banned from basing themselves in these countries and supplying goods through them. Washington also wants its trading partners to stop “absorbing cheap manufactured goods from China.” At the same time, the specific requirements will differ depending on the country and the degree of its involvement in the Chinese economy, WSJ interlocutors noted.
One of the authors of this approach is U.S. Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent. By such measures, he expects to weaken the Chinese economy, isolate it and force it to make concessions in the trade war with the United States. According to WSJ, Bessent presented the plan to Trump on April 6 during a meeting at the Mar-a-Lago residence in Florida. The White House chief later hinted at such a strategy in a conversation with Fox News about the Panama Canal. Specifically, he said he would consider forcing countries to “choose between the U.S. and China.” Trump also urged Beijing to contact him to begin negotiations to resolve the trade war. “China needs to make a deal with us. We don’t need to make a deal with them. China needs what we have – the American consumer,” White House press secretary Carolyn Leavitt relayed the US president’s statements.
