White House: China needs to cut trade surplus by $100B

The Trump administration is pushing China to reduce its trade deficit with the U.S. by $100 billion, a White House spokeswoman told Reuters.

The spokesperson did not provide details about how the Trump administration expects China to cut that deficit, according to the news service.

President Trump tweeted last week that his administration had asked China to develop a plan to reduce the its trade surplus with the U.S. by $1 billion. The spokeswoman told Reuters, however, that Trump meant “$100 billion.”

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“China has been asked to develop a plan for the year of a One Billion Dollar reduction in their massive Trade Deficit with the United States,” Trump tweeted. “Our relationship with China has been a very good one, and we look forward to seeing what ideas they come back with. We must act soon!”

The U.S. trade deficit with China reached $375 billion in 2017, a record high. 

Trump has repeatedly taken aim at what he has called unfair trade practices by China and other countries that put the U.S. at a competitive disadvantage. 

He moved last week to impose tariffs on steel and aluminum imports, after the Commerce Department declared earlier this year that such imports pose a national security risk for the U.S.

In imposing those tariffs, Trump offered temporary exemptions for Canada and Mexico — two of the largest exporters of steel and aluminum to the U.S. — and said that other U.S. allies could negotiate exemptions.

Steel from China makes up only a fraction of U.S. imports.