Trump will explain tariffs on electronics on Monday

U.S. Trade Representative Jamieson Greer was asked what the administration's status is with China as it begins to negotiate with other countries. China said Tuesday it will fight the U.S. taxes "to the end" after announcing its own retaliatory tariffs.

"I see a distinct difference between those countries who have come to us and they said, 'We understand your issues, we understand the deficit, we understand your desire for reciprocity and we want to work with you on this' and the Chinese approach, which has been, 'We are going to retaliate,'" Greer said.

Greer said he doesn't think a deal with China is "in the very near term."

Democratic Sen. Ron Wyden asked U.S. Trade Representative Jamieson Greer if President Donald Trump's steeper "reciprocal" tariffs are still set to go into effect early Wednesday.

"Senator, yes, they're scheduled to go into effect. We are having negotiations with all kinds of counties at this time," Greer responded, arguing the "national emergency" declared by Trump on trade deficits is "something we can't wait on anymore."

"So we will have the president's plan go into effect and we're coupling that with immediate negotiations with our partners," Greer said.

U.S. Trade Representative Jamieson Greer, in his opening statement before the Senate Finance Committee, defended Trump's tariff as the most significant trade policy change since allowing China to join the World Trade Organization.

"These measures are aimed squarely at achieving reciprocity and reducing our massive trade deficit to restore production in the United States," Greer said.

Greer said the trade deficit the U.S. faces is decades in the making and "will not be solved overnight but all of this in the right direction, particularly as we start to negotiate with these countries."

U.S. Trade Representative Jamieson Greer will be testifying on President Donald Trump's trade agenda before the Senate Finance Committee.

Greer will be tasked with defending Trump's tariff policy after days of market fallout, though stocks rose on Tuesday at opening after the Trump administration said it would negotiate with some nations. Greer's appearance before the panel comes one day before the administration's more targeted "reciprocal" tariffs go into effect against nations they've deemed the worst offenders in trade relations with the U.S.