Possibly, but the quote was that he thought the trade war was unsustainable: I don’t think that he meant that it would be unsustainable to China.
Not at all.
There's no reason to think he wasn't at least talking about China if not everybody involved.
From MSNBC:
“The next steps with China are, no one thinks the current status quo is sustainable” with tariff rates at their current levels, Bessent said at a private investor summit in Washington, D.C., hosted by JPMorgan Chase.”
and:
Bessent also insisted that, despite the U.S. ratcheting up tariffs on Chinese imports to 145% and China retaliating with 125% duties on American goods, the goal of Trump’s policy “isn’t to decouple.”
and:
The U.S. Cabinet secretary noted that negotiating with China is likely to be “a slog.”
and:
But neither side “thinks the status quo is sustainable,” Bessent added.”
No doubt that Bessent’s remarks will not sit well with some.