The trade tensions between the United States and China have taken a new turn as President Donald Trump has hinted at the presence of undisclosed U.S. military capabilities. Additionally, President Trump has shown confidence that the Chinese leadership, especially President Xi Jinping, knows what needs to be done to settle these trade issues.

Earlier this month, on April 9, 2025, China decided to levy an extra 84% tariff on goods from the United States. This was in response to President Trump’s latest decision to impose a 104% tariff on Chinese imports. The back-and-forth saw Trump escalates tariffs even more, bringing it up to 125%, as he criticized China for not showing enough respect for international markets. In his communication via his social media channel, Truth Social, he stated that the trade approach of China is unsustainable.

Despite the pressures mounting, Trump took a moment to speak positively of President Xi at a gathering in the Oval Office. He praised President Xi as highly intelligent, mentioning his optimism in achieving a constructive trade deal with China.

In a rather intriguing remark, President Trump mentioned the idea of America possessing “weapons that nobody even knows about.” This cryptic statement has triggered much curiosity regarding the U.S. armed forces’ might and the underlying messages in the ongoing trade kerfuffle.

With the trade tariffs peaking between the U.S. and China, President Trump has enacted a 90-day suspension of tariff increases on other trading countries. This is directed at countries avoiding revenge tariffs against the U.S. Trump mentioned that representatives from over 75 countries had initiated talks with U.S. officials to resolve trade-related matters, which led to this provisional pause.