China's cooperation is critical in pushing North Korea to give up its nuclear and missile programs, but that's not likely to stop U.S. President Donald Trump from pressing ahead with additional tariffs on Chinese products.

Trump is expected to announce on Friday "pretty significant action" in tariffs on Chinese goods worth around $50 billion, Reuters reported. Three sources familiar with the matter earlier told CNBC that fewer products would be affected, but the dollar value of those goods was unclear.

Secretary of State Mike Pompeo is in Beijing to discuss the next steps in getting North Korea to denuclearize. But Reuters, citing an unnamed administration official, said "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."

In addition, "a whole of bunch of stars" have aligned to allow Trump to go ahead with tariffs against China without severe political and economic consequences, said Scott Kennedy from the Center for Strategic and International Studies.