WASHINGTON (TNND) — It’s a reality President Donald Trump says will take time to reverse - the heavy reliance by the United States on China, a top adversary and competitor.

He has said multiple times the relationship has resulted in a huge imbalance on the world economic stage.

In a post on Truth Social, Trump called China “the biggest abuser of all” following its 34% retaliatory tariff on all U.S. imports beginning Thursday.

On Monday he posted a new threat:

If China does not withdraw its 34% increase above their already long-term trading abuses by tomorrow, April 8th, 2025, the United States will impose ADDITIONAL Tariffs on China of 50%, effective April 9th. Additionally, all talks with China concerning their requested meetings with us will be terminated!"

During a gaggle aboard Air Force One Sunday, the president told reporters, "China is right now taking a big hit because everyone knows we're right. They have to pay tariffs. We’re not going to lose a trillion dollars for the privilege of buying pencils from China."

Chinese officials call the tariffs unprovoked and unjustified.

In an interview with CNN Friday, William Lee, chief economist with the Milken Institute, said, "I think the response from China, the raising the tariffs is more like using a rifle rather than a cannon in response to President Trump. And like every other political leader, President Xi has to demonstrate very quickly he's not going to get pushed around by an American president. He has to appeal to the domestic audience to show that he wants to maintain China's sovereignty, and he will not allow Americans to push him around."

While President Trump insists the trillion-dollar trade deficit with China is the top reason for the tariffs, he’s also pushing China to do more on fentanyl, which experts say it's involved in at every level.

Most of the precursor chemicals are made in China and then shipped to Mexico through ports owned by Chinese companies, a process detailed in Peter Schweizer’s book Blood Money: Why the Powerful Turn a Blind Eye While China Kills Americans.

In a recent interview with The National News Desk, Schweizer said, "Those precursors are shipped to facilities run by the Mexican drug cartels but according to our DEA, there are 2000 Chinese nationals that essentially act as chemists to turn that into fentanyl."

During Trump's first term, Chinese President Xi Jinping vowed to put a stop to its involvement, a promise that ultimately wasn’t kept. Though tariffs could push them in the right direction, a move the White House is betting on, as global trade continues its spiral.

"China is not going to decide tomorrow. Ok, we’re done. The game is over. You’ve got to stay on top of them and I think using something that China values which is access to our markets is a very very effective tool to aggressively deal with this issue with fentanyl."