U.S. Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent said on Wednesday that he believes that excessively high tariffs between the U.S. and China will have to come down before trade negotiations can proceed but said President Donald Trump would not unilaterally cut tariffs on Chinese imports.

U.S. markets are poised to open with big gains, a clear signs of relief after President Donald Trump said he would not attempt to fire the head of the Federal Reserve and Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent said he expects a “de-escalation” from unsustainable tariffs against China in the trade war between the world’s two largest economies.

Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent sparked optimism in financial markets Tuesday when he called the tariff-driven trade war between the U.S. and China "unsustainable" and said it would likely "de-escalate.