White House National Economic Council Director Kevin Hassett said that the number of countries reaching out to the United States for trade tariff negotiations has climbed to 130. Discussions with China have also begun, according to Rapid Response.

"Right now, 130 countries — 130 countries — have responded, and we're negotiating with them," Hassett stated.

He noted that talks with China over trade matters are underway but remain in the early stages.

The U.S. Department of Commerce confirmed that a preliminary dialogue on trade issues has begun between Washington and Beijing, with discussions currently taking place through intermediaries.

Trump’s Tariff Policy

On April 2, President Donald Trump announced reciprocal tariffs on nearly all U.S. trading partners, with rates ranging from 10% to 49%.

However, on April 9—the date the full tariff plan was set to take effect—Trump delayed implementation for 90 days. The 10% tariff went into effect immediately, while the others were paused. Trump also indicated the pause could be extended further. China was the only exception; tariffs on Chinese imports were not lifted and have since been raised to 145%, according to the latest data.

As previously reported by RBC-Ukraine, the U.S. had recently exempted items like smartphones and computers from the new tariffs.