The Trump administration said on Tuesday that the 145 percent tariffs imposed on Chinese imports will eventually "come down substantially" while expressing optimism about future talks to reach a US-China trade deal, US media reported. The US government's seemingly softening tone indicates that it is encountering huge difficulties in achieving its initial goals when announcing steep "reciprocal tariffs," which have resulted in US domestic financial market fluctuations and potential recessions, a Chinese expert said. The expert stressed that the US tariff bullying is unsustainable and will inevitably harm US economy.

"145% is very high, and it won't be that high," US President Donald Trump told reporters in the Oval Office on Tuesday, USA Today reported.

"No, it won't be anywhere near that high. It'll come down substantially. But it won't be zero ‒ used to be zero," the US President said. "We're going to be very nice, they're going to be very nice, and we'll see what happens," he said, according to the report.

"The US seemingly softening tone underscores that the US tariff policy has shown a significant discrepancy between its actual outcomes and its initial goals," Bao Jianyun, dean and professor of the Department of International Politics, School of International studies at Renmin University of China, told the Global Times on Wednesday.

US stock and bond market fluctuations, along with growing domestic opposition from companies, economists and consumers, also add pressure on the US government to soften its hard stance on its steep tariffs, Bao said.

Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent said earlier on Tuesday in a closed-door speech that the ongoing tariffs showdown against China is unsustainable and he expects a "de-escalation" in the trade war between the world's two largest economies, the Associated Press (AP) reported.

"Neither side thinks the status quo is sustainable," it said, citing a transcript of the meeting.

US White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt told reporters on Tuesday "The president and the administration are setting the stage for a deal... the ball is moving in the right direction," The Hill reported.

US stocks rallied Tuesday on hopes that US-China trade tensions could ease soon, as investors recovered from the steep declines suffered in the previous session, CNBC reported. The Dow Jones Industrial Average rose 1,016.57 points, or 2.66 percent, to close at 39,186.98. The S&P 500 gained 2.51 percent and settled at 5,287.76, while the Nasdaq Composite rose 2.71 percent to end at 16,300.42, per the media outlet.

The latest response of the Trump administration is within expectations, indicating that it is beginning to realize that its tariffs cannot only hurt others without also harming the US itself, Lü Xiang, an expert on US studies and a research fellow at the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences, told the Global Times on Wednesday. "But we should not be too optimistic," Lü noted.

Two Nobel laureates in economics - Vernon Smith and James Heckman, along with other economists and scholars, have initiated an Anti-Tariff declaration on the website anti-tariff.org, encouraging more people to sign up and jointly reject the tariffs, according to media reports.

"The current administration's tariffs are motivated by a mistaken understanding of the economic conditions faced by ordinary Americans. We anticipate that American workers will incur the brunt of these misguided policies in the form of increased prices and the risk of a self-inflicted recession," read the statement.

"Despite the US seemingly softening tone, we should be cautious that it's only technical strategy adjustment in the context of new global trade trends, while the US goal of containing and suppressing China will not change," Bao said, noting that the US has reduced its credibility with back-and-forth on tariffs.

He said the US should show sincerity if it wants to resolve trade issue through talk, for example, by removing the high tariffs on China imports, while stressing that China must maintain strategic focus.

Chinese Foreign Ministry Spokesperson Lin Jian said on April 16 that the tariff war was started by the US. China has taken necessary countermeasures in order to defend its legitimate rights and interests and international fairness and justice. This is fully justified and lawful. China's position has been very clear. Tariff and trade wars have no winners. China does not want to fight these wars but is not scared of them. If the US truly wants to resolve the issue through dialogue and negotiation, it should stop using maximum pressure, stop threats and blackmail and seek dialogue with China on the basis of equality, respect and mutual benefit.