Bessant: Trump will decide whether to extend trade talks

Odaily News U.S. Treasury Secretary Jeff Bessant said Trump will decide whether to extend negotiations with trading partners beyond the July 9 deadline. "We're going to do what the president wants us to do and it's up to him to decide if they're negotiating in good faith," Bessant said Thursday on CNBC when asked about a possible extension of the deadline. Bessant said he met with EU trade representatives Thursday morning and said U.S. Trade Representative Greer would "work hard over the weekend" with European officials. Asked about the status of negotiations with Japan, Bessant said there was still no agreement with Japan, probably because domestic politics in Japan complicated the negotiations. Regarding Vietnam, Bessant said his understanding was that the agreement "had been reached in principle" and that the 20% tariff announced by Trump was at the heart of the agreement, which would not be superimposed on the 10% general tariff. (Jin Shi)