Washington DC (EFE).- United States President Donald Trump may impose additional tariffs on China over its continued purchase of sanctioned Russian oil, US Secretary of Commerce Howard Lutnick said Thursday.
“I think the president said yesterday everything’s on the table,” Lutnick told Fox Business when asked about China’s ongoing oil purchase from Russia.
“And he’s going to use all the tools in his toolbox to use it. And he hasn’t ruled anything out,” he added.
The potential move is reportedly part of the Trump administration’s broader strategy to pressure Russian President Vladimir Putin to end the war in Ukraine and agree to a peace deal.
On Wednesday, Trump also signed an executive order imposing an additional 25% tariff on Indian imports, on top of an existing 25%, in retaliation for India’s refusal to stop buying Russian crude oil.
Currently, Washington and Beijing are in a 90-day tariff truce amid a prolonged trade war, following months of strained relations despite multiple rounds of trade talks.
The truce came after a sharp escalation in trade tensions earlier this year, when the US imposed tariffs of 145% on Chinese imports in April. China responded with 125% tariffs on American goods. However, after negotiations in May, Washington lowered its tariffs to 30%, while Beijing reduced its own to 10%.
However, Lutnick said that the current truce, set to expire on Aug. 12, could be extended.
“We’re going to leave that to the trade team and to the president to make those decisions. But it feels likely that they’re going to come to an agreement and extend that for another 90 days,” Lutnick said.
Since April, the two sides have held three rounds of trade talks in Geneva, London, and Stockholm, in an effort to ease tensions. EFE
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