Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent defended President Donald Trump’s negotiating strategy on trade deals but said he didn't know whether Trump was speaking directly with Chinese President Xi Jinping.

“I don't know if President Trump has spoken with President Xi. I know they have a very good relationship and a lot of respect for each other, but again, I think that the Chinese will see that this high tariff level is unsustainable for their business model,” Bessent told ABC News' "This Week" co-anchor Martha Raddatz.

Bessent also offered a time frame of “months” to hammer out a trade deal with China, but suggested “good behavior” from other countries engaged in negotiations could keep the tariffs from remaining high.

“A trade deal can take months, but an agreement in principle and, the good behavior and staying within the parameter of the deal by our trading partners can keep the tariffs from ratcheting back to the maximum level.”

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