US President Donald Trump believes the ball is in Beijing's court in the trade dispute with China, as it needs a deal more than Washington.
"The president has made his position clear on China. Although I have a supplementary statement that he just shared with me in the Oval Office. The ball is in China's court. China has to make a deal with us. “We are not obligated to negotiate with them," said White House press secretary Caroline Leavitt.
"There is no difference between China and any other country, except that they are much bigger and what China wants is what we have, what every country wants from us, which is American consumers," Leavitt added. "Or to put it another way, they want our money. So the president has made it clear again that he is open to making a deal with China, but China has to make a deal with the United States," the White House press secretary concluded.
Earlier, the United States increased the overall tariff on goods from China to 145%. In response to the protectionist actions of the US administration, China increased tariffs on goods from the United States from 84% to 125% on April 12.