President Trump on Friday issued his clearest sign yet of his desire to de-escalate the trade war he started with China last month.

“80% Tariff on China seems right! Up to Scott B,” Trump wrote in a post on Truth Social, publicly advising Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent to lower tariffs on China from the current 145 percent rate.

Bessent will lead the U.S. delegation for talks in Geneva opposite Chinese Vice Premier He Lifeng, which will mark the first talks since Trump’s “Liberation Day” tariff announcement.

The U.S. currently has broad 145 percent tariffs on Chinese imports, while China has raised its duties on American products to 125 percent. Economists say these rates effectively act as an embargo, and they expect massive disruptions to global supply chains if these tariffs don’t fall fairly soon.

Both sides have carved out key imports — electronics on the U.S. side and some pharmaceuticals and other products on the Chinese side — pointing to the inevitable pain for consumers in both countries if the trade war drags on.

Global markets will be watching the meeting intently for any signs of a thaw or continued standoff between the world’s two biggest economies.

Here’s what to know about the talks.

China says US requested meeting

China has repeatedly said that the U.S. requested the talks and that it won’t be bullied into a bad trade deal.

“This tariff war was started by the US. China firmly opposes the US’s tariff hikes,” the spokesperson for China’s foreign ministry said in a Wednesday post on social platform X. “Meanwhile, China is open to dialogue, but any dialogue must be based on equality, respect and mutual benefit. To pressure or coerce China in whatever way simply does not work.”

Trump chafed at that characterization in remarks to reporters at the Oval Office later in the day.

“They said we initiated? Well, I think they ought to go back and study their files, OK?” he said.

In a congressional hearing earlier this week, Bessent disputed Trump’s suggestion that China and the U.S. have been engaged in ongoing trade discussions, telling lawmakers that talks were definitively not in an “advanced” stage.

"I said, on Saturday, we will begin, which I believe is the opposite of advanced," he said.

Bessent said he will be joined by U.S. Trade Representative Jamieson Greer but that........

© The Hill