Trump’s Treasury Secretary Says China Talks ‘Are, Uh, a Bit Stalled’ 

Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent gave a less-than-optimistic response to a question about the Trump administration’s ongoing trade negotiations with China.

President Donald Trump has unilaterally imposed tariffs on imports from most countries, and he has slapped Chinese goods with the highest rate at 30%, which, though much lower than the previous figure of 145%, is still substantial.

On Wednesday, a three-judge panel of the U.S. Court of International Trade ruled that the tariffs on most imports, including those on most Chinese goods, are invalid. China hailed the decision, but on Thursday, an appeals court paused the ruling, pending arguments.

Bessent, who has played a key role in trade negotiations, joined Thursday’s Special Report on Fox News, where Bret Baier asked about the status of negotiations with Chinese officials.

“And what about China?” Baier asked. “How can you characterize those talks now?”

Bessent responded:

I would say that they are, uh, a bit stalled. I believe that we will be having more talks with them in the next few weeks. And I believe we may, at some point, have a call between the president and party Chair Xi.

“So, stalled,” Baier echoed. “There was a time when the president thought that it was moving forward pretty significantly.”

“Again, I think that given the magnitude of the talks, given the complexity, that this is going to require both leaders to weigh in with each other,” the secretary stated. “They have a very good relationship. And I am confident that the Chinese will come to the table when President Trump makes his preferences known.”

Watch above via Fox News.