US Treasury chief defends tariffs, warns against aligning with China

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US Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent told a acme  successful  Washington that China chose to escalate commercialized   tensions with Washington by retaliating to President Donald Trump's tariffsUS Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent told a acme successful Washington that China chose to escalate commercialized tensions with Washington by retaliating to President Donald Trump's tariffs. Photo: Brendan SMIALOWSKI / AFP/File
Source: AFP

US Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent warned countries Wednesday against aligning with China connected trade, arsenic helium defended President Donald Trump's determination to remake the world's biggest economy done sweeping tariffs that person stoked marketplace turmoil.

Bessent told a acme of bankers successful Washington that economies perchance eyeing person ties with Beijing implicit the US displacement whitethorn privation to deliberation twice, saying "that would beryllium cutting your ain throat."

"They conscionable support producing and producing, dumping and dumping, and it's going somewhere," helium added.

Bessent's remarks came hours aft Trump's caller tariffs connected dozens of countries -- including galore US allies -- kicked in, and soon aft Beijing unveiled arsenic steep antagonistic tariffs.

The Treasury main stressed besides that Trump's country-specific tariff levels are "a ceiling" if governments did not retaliate, suggesting Trump would clasp disconnected from further hikes without pushback.

Bessent added that China chose to escalate the situation.

The United States has "been overwhelmed" with responses from countries seeking to negociate with Trump, saying that Washington has had bully calls with Tokyo and Seoul.

At the extremity of the day, Bessent said, Washington can astir apt scope deals with allies. "And then, we tin attack China arsenic a group."

Asked astir the authorities of the US economy, Bessent said it remained successful "pretty bully shape."

'Main Street's turn'

Bessent besides said the Treasury Department would enactment connected reforms involving slope regulation.

"Wall Street has grown wealthier than ever before, and it tin proceed to turn and bash well," helium told the American Bankers Association's Washington Summit successful a speech.

"But for the adjacent 4 years, the Trump docket is focused connected Main Street. It's Main Street's turn," Bessent added, referring to smaller businesses, investors and institutions.

The Trump medication has been pursuing an economical policy, including tariffs, with a stated purpose of transforming the US system by boosting home concern sectors and pushing for deregulation.

On Wednesday, Bessent said Trump understands nationalist spot comes from the "ground up, not the apical down," stressing that the conception applies to authorities arsenic good arsenic banking.

"For excessively long, fiscal argumentation has served ample institutions, astatine the disbursal of smaller ones. No more," the erstwhile hedge money manager added.

"It's Main Street's crook to prosecute workers, it's Main Street's crook to thrust investment, and it's Main Street's crook to reconstruct the American Dream," helium said.

He added that assemblage bankers successful the country would assistance pb this revival.

He flagged the request arsenic good to guarantee that Trump's taxation cuts from his archetypal presidency did not expire, saying this would assistance enactment the economy.

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Source: AFP

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