US Vice President J.D. Vance announced on Sunday that President Donald Trump is weighing imposing tariffs on Chinese imports due to Beijing's continued Russian oil purchases. The possible action comes just a day after Trump imposed a 25% tariff on Indian goods for the same reason as tensions escalate in global trade amidst Ukraine hostilities.
On Fox News, Vance told that Trump is still considering his moves but has not yet made a final judgment on China. "The China situation's more complex," Vance said, "since our relations with China impact many matters independent of Russia." Though the Indian tariff was announced suddenly, any US move against China is likely to be more careful because of wider geopolitical and economic factors.
Trump’s recent tariff on India came after New Delhi continued buying Russian oil despite repeated warnings from the White House. The US government used emergency powers to impose the 25% tax, targeting Indian imports in an effort to pressure countries financially supporting Moscow’s war effort.
Tariffs were the key negotiating tool for Vance. "When you make a point to nations that they cannot come into American markets without entering hefty tariffs or opening their own markets, it causes them to have to negotiate," he stated. He cited the same results with the European Union and other Asian nations, where tariffs compelled them to relax trade barriers to American products.
The US and China concluded a third round of senior-level trade negotiations in Stockholm recently, which involved reportedly committing to suspending new tariffs until August 12. However, the Trump administration remains unsure whether this suspension will be extended, keeping the issue in doubt mere days before an expected Trump-Putin summit.
China is the world's largest importer of Russian oil, buying a record 108.5 million tonnes in the past year around 20% of its overall oil imports. This trade has been criticized by Western nations, which blame Beijing for tacitly facilitating Russia's war on Ukraine.
While Trump is about to sit down with Putin, his tariff policy may be a decisive aspect of negotiations for putting an end to the current war. Whether Trump chooses to ratchet up pressure on China through trade or not is yet to be determined, but the US is observing Beijing carefully.
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