"President Trump Does Not Prioritize Tariff Negotiations"

Financial Times Reports Citing Anonymous U.S. Officials

The British daily Financial Times (FT) reported on the 5th (local time), citing anonymous U.S. officials, that U.S. President Donald Trump is not prioritizing tariff negotiations with foreign governments.

President Trump had a phone call with Vietnam's Communist Party Secretary General Nguyen Phu Trong on the 4th, just two days after announcing a reciprocal tariff policy, but U.S. officials are signaling that negotiations with foreign governments are not a priority for the president, FT reported.

President Trump also stated in a post on social media that Secretary General Trong said he would like to lower Vietnam's tariffs on the U.S. to '0' if an agreement could be reached with the U.S., calling it a "productive call."

However, White House officials pointed out that President Trump's open attitude towards "receiving calls" from foreign leaders should not be mistaken for genuine negotiations leading to tariff reductions.

The White House is currently focused on implementing tariff measures, which suggests that the U.S. will set very strict conditions for future relief agreements, they explained.

A White House official said, "President Trump is always ready to take calls from foreign leaders and is willing to discuss possible deals, but that is not negotiation."

A senior White House official emphasized, "This is not negotiation," calling it a "national emergency."

Another White House official also stated, "The U.S. is not discussing specific concessions with other countries."

U.S. officials are trying to emphasize that this tariff measure is a response to decades of unfair trade practices by major trade partners and allies and is designed to rebuild American manufacturing and create jobs, FT added.

Yoo Ji-hee, Hankyung.com reporter keephee@hankyung.com