FOLLOWING his announcement of a 90-day pause in the implementation of wide-ranging tariffs on several countries, US President Donald Trump claimed he could make “fair deals for everybody”, BBC News reported.

While speaking to reporters on the South Lawn of the White House, the president was asked if the tariff “pause” was based on the dip in the bond market.

“I saw last night where people were getting a little queasy,” he said. The president previously said that there would be no pause in the tariffs, and when quizzed on his U-turn, responded with: “You have to have flexibility”.

Despite his belligerent tone and pugnacious attitude towards Beijing, President Trump appeared almost certainty that China will also eventually come to the table.

“A deal is going to be made with China,” he told reporters. “A deal is going to be made with every one of them.”

A tweet from the White House indicated that it will work with countries that don’t impose retaliatory tariffs.

“DO NOT RETALIATE AND YOU WILL BE REWARDED,” it posted on social media platform X (formerly Twitter).

An official also clarified that the earlier-imposed import tax of 25pc on all steel and aluminium entering the US, even from Mexico, Canada and other allies, would remain in place.

For the moment, it seems as if China and the US are playing a game of chicken to see who blinks first — and Trump seems certain it will be China, noted Bernd Debusmann Jr of BBC News.

Published in Dawn, April 10th, 2025