US President Donald Trump signaled progress in the ongoing trade war with China, revealing that talks are moving in a positive direction, speaking to reporters at the White House on Friday (April 18).“By the way, we have nice conversations going with China … It’s, like, really very good,” Trump said, though he did not provide further details, according to Reuters.Deal may be weeks awayFor the first time, Trump confirmed that both US and Chinese teams are in discussions over tariffs. He expressed optimism that a deal could be finalised soon.“I believe we’re going to have a deal with China. And if we don’t, we’re going to have a deal anyway because we’re going to set a certain target and that’s going to be it,” Trump said.China ‘reaching out a lot’When asked if Chinese President Xi Jinping had initiated talks, Trump insisted that communication between the two countries has been frequent.“Well, you think it was pretty obvious that he has… we’ll talk about that soon. It’s not that important,” he said. On whether Xi had reached out since the US raised tariffs, Trump added, “A lot, I mean, a lot. All the time, we’re talking.”Pressed on whether he had personally spoken with Xi, Trump replied, “I don’t want to say that. It’s—it’s just not appropriate,” later adding, “I’ve never said whether or not they’ve happened, but I have a very good relationship with President Xi.”Hassett: ‘Big steps forward’Kevin Hassett, head of the White House National Economic Council, confirmed that over 15 trade deals are currently under negotiation. He mentioned that these include “big steps forward” but refused to clarify the status of talks with China or confirm if the two leaders had directly spoken.Tariff war impacting marketsTrump’s remarks follow market turbulence triggered by the rollout of new US tariffs on April 2. Although a 10% tariff was imposed on most imports, implementation of more aggressive levies has been delayed amid ongoing talks.Meanwhile, the US retaliated with even steeper tariffs—raising duties up to 245% on certain China imports, a significant escalation from the 145% previously in place.Signals of a pause in trade retaliationOn Thursday, Trump hinted at a potential halt in the tit-for-tat tariff exchanges that have rocked global markets.
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