FILE PHOTO: Donald Trump is sworn in as the 45th president of the United States on the West front of the U.S. Capitol in Washington, U.S., January 20, 2017. REUTERS/Kevin Lamarque/File Photo

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - U.S. President Donald Trump is expected to direct a “pretty significant action” in trade tariffs against China affecting around $50 billion in Chinese goods, an administration official said on Thursday.

U.S. trade officials were meeting at the White House on Thursday afternoon to discuss the issue, with Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin arguing against the move, the official said.

The official told Reuters that Trump no longer thought of China’s influence over North Korea as a compelling reason not to impose tariffs now that the United States had a direct line of communication with Pyongyang.

“We have a channel that’s independent of China now,” he said.