A majority of Americans oppose higher tariffs on China and are warming to the idea of economic cooperation instead, in a possibly unwelcome signal for President Donald Trump as he heads into crunch trade talks on Thursday with Chinese leader Xi Jinping.
The summit taking place in the South Korean port city of Busan will be their first in person since Trump began his second term in January. Washington and Beijing both have expressed cautious optimism about reaching a deal to ease tensions on trade and other issues, but officials have kept their cards close to the chest before the key negotiations.
Why It Matters
The U.S.-China trade war was reignited this past spring after Trump raised tariffs on Chinese imports, citing the bilateral trade deficit and “unfair” practices that were disadvantaging American businesses. Beijing responded with duties on major American exports such as soybeans and with stricter controls on critical minerals sent abroad.
Trump has wielded tariffs as his economic weapon of choice across multiple issues, including to end wars around the world, and the shift in U.S. public opinion could take some wind out of any hard-line position he plans to bring into dialogue with Xi. In Beijing’s eyes, it could make wider concessions on tariffs increasingly likely.
Meanwhile in the United States, inflation persists as the import taxes on Chinese goods are transferred to consumers. The Consumer Price Index rose 3 percent year-on-year in September, the highest rate since January, with tariffs contributing to higher costs for American consumers.
What To Know
In the survey published on Tuesday by the Chicago Council on Global Affairs, just 38 percent of Americans supported raising tariffs on China, down sharply from 55 percent in September 2024.
The drop was driven largely by Democrats and independents, the report said, with 14 percent and 31 percent, respectively, favoring higher tariffs, compared to 39 and 50 percent last year. A majority of Republicans, at 67 percent, still backed the duties.
Some two-thirds of respondents across party lines—73 percent of Democrats, 63 percent of Republicans, and 65 percent of independents—said they would back an outcome in which Washington reduced tariffs in exchange for Beijing cutting its trade deficit, according to the polling data.
Views on U.S.-China trade overall remained split: 60 percent of Democrats said it strengthens U.S. national security, while 63 percent of Republicans said it weakens it.
Asked about the upcoming meeting with Xi, a White House spokesperson referred Newsweek to earlier remarks by Trump, who on Wednesday had already committed to lowering tariffs over at least one issue: the U.S. opioid crisis.
“I expect to be lowering that because I believe they’re going to help us with the fentanyl situation,” Trump told reporters on Air Force One. “China is going to be working with me.”
Following weekend trade talks in Malaysia, U.S. and Chinese officials have hinted that a wide-ranging deal could be struck.
The Chicago Council survey was conducted by Ipsos from July 18-30 and polled 2,148 U.S. adults nationwide. It had a margin of error is plus or minus 2.2 percentage points.
What People Are Saying
Liu Pengyu, spokesperson for the Chinese Embassy in Washington, D.C., told Newsweek: “Heads-of-state diplomacy plays an irreplaceable role in providing strategic guidance for the China-U.S. relations.”
“In the Kuala Lumpur China-U.S. economic and trade consultation, the two sides had candid, in-depth and constructive exchanges of views on important trade and economic issues of mutual concerns, guided by the important consensuses reached by the two heads of state in their phone conversations since the beginning of this year.”
The Chicago Council on Global Affairs said its report: “Americans’ views of China are beginning to improve after several years of sharp declines. A year after hitting record lows in the Council’s nearly 50-year-long trend, American views of China have rebounded.”
What Happens Next
Trump and his team have been projecting optimism over the upcoming meeting, which the Chinese Foreign Ministry confirmed would be happening on Thursday local time in South Korea.
“I think it’ll be a good deal for both,” Trump said on Wednesday. “That’s better than fighting and going through all sorts of problems.”
Scott Bessent, the U.S. Treasury head who led the U.S. negotiations in Malaysia, said Trump was unlikely to follow through on the 100-percent tariff hike he had threatened earlier this month. He also expects China to delay new export restrictions on rare earth elements and finalize a deal over TikTok’s ownership.