The standoff over US tariffs continues, with the White House asserting on Tuesday, April 15, that "the ball is in China's court," as Beijing maintains pressure by suspending Boeing deliveries.
Donald Trump "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," not the other way around, said White House spokesperson Karoline Leavitt to the press. According to her, "China wants what we have, every country wants what we have: the American consumer. Or, to put it another way, they need our money."
For Leavitt, it's up to China to end the trade war between the world's two largest economies, initiated by Trump with significant tariff hikes that have severely shaken financial markets.
On Wednesday, China asserted it is "not afraid" of a trade war with the United States, while calling for dialogue after the White House's statements. "If the US really wants to resolve the issue through dialogue and negotiation, it should stop exerting extreme pressure, stop threatening and blackmailing, and talk to China on the basis of equality, respect and mutual benefit," declared Lin Jian, spokesperson for the Chinese Ministry of Foreign Affairs.
Earlier, China released its economic results, showing a growth of 5.4% in the first quarter of 2025. This was stronger than anticipated, particularly due to exporters rushing to ship their products before the American surtaxes take effect.
It also announced the appointment of a new lead negotiator for trade talks. Li Chenggang has replaced Wang Shouwen, who participated in the negotiations that led to the 2020 trade deal between China and the US.
An official from China's National Bureau of Statistics stated that tariffs are exerting "pressure" on the Chinese economy and foreign trade. Beijing, which systematically retaliates against American surtaxes, has suspended all reception of aircraft manufactured by the American company Boeing.
Trump condemned this move, asserting on his social media platform Truth Social that China had "just reneged on the big Boeing deal, saying that they will 'not take possession' of fully committed to aircraft." According to Bloomberg News, China asked the country's airlines to "halt any purchases of aircraft-related equipment and parts from US companies."
Beijing also seems determined to target American agriculture: The Australian broadcaster ABC reported that Australian beef exports to China had significantly increased, while American exporters have not seen their licenses renewed. Questioned by Agence France-Presse, the US Meat Export Federation confirmed that the majority of beef exporters' licenses have not been renewed since March 16.
Hong Kong's postal service announced on Wednesday it would suspend parcel shipments to the US, in response to tariff hikes that it described as "bullying."
The new fronts opened by Trump in his tariff offensive, targeting certain minerals and electronic items, weighed on Asian stock markets on Wednesday morning, with tech stocks suffering particularly due to restrictions on chips imposed on the American sector giant Nvidia. Chinese President Xi Jinping continues his tour in Southeast Asia on Wednesday in Malaysia, seeking to organize a coordinated response with neighboring countries to American tariffs.
China and the US have entered an escalation of tariffs: Washington has imposed a 145% surtax on Chinese products entering its territory since Trump's return to the White House. Beijing has countered with a surtax now reaching 125%.
The American president did tone down his declarations by exempting computers, smartphones and other electronic products, as well as semiconductors, the majority of which come from China. For all other countries, reciprocal tariffs above a 10% threshold have been paused for 90 days, with the White House opening the door to negotiation.
South Korea, a major exporter of automobiles and semiconductors to the US, announced on Wednesday that its finance minister, Choi Sang-mok, would travel to Washington next week to meet his counterpart, Scott Bessent. In the upcoming negotiations, the European Union is "very well placed," insisted European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen, in an interview with the German magazine Die Zeit, because "we Europeans know exactly what we want and what our goals are."
Another country in Trump's crosshairs, Canada, made a concession to automakers on Tuesday by allowing them to import a certain number of vehicles manufactured in the US in exchange for their commitment to maintain production in Canada, without tariffs. Ottawa imposed a 25% tariff on these products in retaliation for the 25% levied by Washington on cars delivered to the US. According to the Japanese press, automaker Honda is considering moving its Canadian production lines to the US, a plan the group has denied.
Additionally, Trump has imposed sectoral tariffs of 25% on steel and aluminum. He is considering doing the same for semiconductors and pharmaceuticals "within one or two months," according to his commerce secretary, Howard Lutnick.
Translation of an original article published in French on lemonde.fr; the publisher may only be liable for the French version.