Long-threatened tariffs from U.S. President Donald Trump have plunged the country into trade wars abroad — all while on-again, off-again new levies continue to escalate uncertainty.

President Donald Trump said he would not consider lowering the United States' 145% tariffs on China in order to spur trade-war negotiations with Beijing. Trump flatly answered "no" when asked at the White House if he was open to pulling back on the steep import duties in order to get China to the negotiating table.

Key Takeaways During a White House press conference Wednesday, President Donald Trump said he would not lower tariffs on China in order to get them to the negotiating table.Officials from the two nations are set to meet this week in Switzerland in the first step on trade negotiations.