TMTPOST -- U.S. President Donald Trump on Friday appeared to soften his hawkishness on planned reciprocal tariffs , and suggested he is open to discuss tariffs with Chinese counterpart.

Credit：China Central Television

Trump stuck to his plan to impose reciprocal tariffs, resisting any exceptions, but indicated there could be “flexibility” on these tariffs set to come in force on April 2, which he calls the big one in his plan to reshape U.S. trade tensions.

Mentioning the auto tariff exemptions, Trump told reporter in the White House’s Oval Office on Friday: “People are coming to me and talking about tariffs, and a lot of people are asking me if they could have exceptions.” “And once you do that for one, you have to do that for all,” then he said. 

Trump signed executive actions on March 6 to grant temporary exemptions from tariffs imposed on Canadian and Mexican imports that are covered by the USMCA until April 2, effectively delaying the extra 25% tariffs that just went into effect on Tuesday for almost a month.

Trump on Friday stressed his stance didn’t change in spite of the delay in auto tariffs. “I don’t change. But the word flexibility is an important word,” he said. “Sometimes it’s flexibility. So there’ll be flexibility, but basically it’s reciprocal.” He claimed "flexibility is because the tariffs are reciprocal", but then noted “whatever they do to us, we do to them.” 

April 2 is the day that U.S. President Donald Trump repeatedly vowed to impose reciprocal tariffs on other countries. Trump signed on February 13 a presidential memorandum dubbed "Fair and Reciprocal Plan", and that day ordered the development of a comprehensive plan for restoring fairness in U.S. trade relationships and countering non-reciprocal trading arrangements. U.S. Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick expected the studies will be complete by April 1, and Trump can decide when to enact any new recommended tariffs from April 2.

Trump said late February that he will move forward with the reciprocal tariff on American trading partners as the schedule. Trump on Sunday underlined again he would start implementation of the sweeping reciprocal tariffs on April 2. “April 2 is a liberating day for our country,” Trump told reporters on Air Force One. “We’re getting back to some of the wealth that very, very foolish presidents gave away because they had no clue what they were doing.” Trump also said he would sector-specific tariffs, including the steel and aluminum sectors for auto production.

Trump revealed on Friday his top trade chief, U.S. Trade Representative Jamieson Greer plans to speak with his Chinese counterpart. "Yes," Trump responded to a question about whether a potential meeting involving his trade chief was in the works. When asked if China can do anything to head off trade war, he said: "We can talk." The president didn’t say what he wants to achieve through the U.S.-China talks, or whether they could lead to the tariff removal on China.

The United States started to levy another 10% tariffs on imports from China from March 6, making extra tariffs on China doubled to 20% since Trump returned to White House. China immediately retaliated with extra tariffs on certain U.S. exports.

The new tariffs on products imported from U.S. go into effect from March 10. An additional 15% tariff is imposed on imported chicken, wheat, corn and cotton originating from the United States, and sorghum, soybeans, pork, beef, aquatic products, fruits, vegetables and dairy products are subject to an additional 10% tariff, according to a statement of the Customs Tariff Commission of the State Council on March 4.

The recent countermeasures are well targeted and demonstrate China’s determination, Yuyuan Tantian, a social media account affiliated with China Central Television (CCTV) commented in a post later Tuesday. It noted China, as the world's largest importer of agricultural products, is the largest export destination for American agricultural products, accounting for nearly one fifth of the total U.S. agricultural exports.

China's moves show that if U.S. insists on imposing tariffs, China will resolutely hit back and fight to the end, and the United States will pay a price and shoot itself in the foot, Yuyuan Tantian cited professionals.