Trump Says China Has Reached Out on Tariffs, TikTok Deal May Come Later

‘If we don’t [agree], we’re going to have a deal anyway, because we will set a certain target, and that’s going to be it,’ the president says.

Chinese made cars, including Volvo and other brands, at the port in Nanjing, in China’s eastern Jiangsu province on April 16, 2025. AFP via Getty Images

President Donald Trump said on April 17 that China has contacted his administration to negotiate amid an ongoing tariff war, and signaled that a deal on divesting TikTok from its Beijing-based partner company may wait for now.

While speaking with reporters during an executive order signing ceremony in the Oval Office, Trump confirmed that top Chinese officials had reached out “a lot” after he raised tariffs on the nation to 145 percent.