Frustrated, Trump Eyes China Tariffs

Two months after President Donald Trump hosted Chinese president Xi Jinping at his Mar-a-Lago hotel in Florida and declared their relationship to be “outstanding,” the White House seems to be changing its tune.

Trump has grown increasingly frustrated with China’s inaction on crucial issues like North Korea, and his administration has begun to take steps to pressure the country to increase its efforts. The State Department issued a report on Tuesday labelling China among the worst human traffickers in the world, and the administration is reportedly considering taking economic action against Beijing.

During Xi’s visit, the White House appeared to back away from its earlier promises to take a hard economic line against China, with both leaders emphasizing the importance of working toward mutually beneficial ends. The Trump administration particularly hoped that building a strong relationship with China would help to rein in North Korea, a Chinese ally.

But the president has seemingly soured on the partnership as North Korea continues to behave erratically, running missile tests as regularly as ever. This came to a head with the death of Otto Warmbier, an American student whom Pyongyang imprisoned for 17 months before returning him to the United States days before his death.

A senior administration official told Reuters that Trump “feels like he gave China a chance to make a difference” but has not seen adequate results. “They did a little, not a lot.”