Trump threatens to nix meeting with China’s Xi Jinping over trade tensions

The US president’s announcement comes aft China pledged to enforce restrictions connected the export of uncommon world minerals.

United States President Donald Trump has suggested helium whitethorn scrap a planned gathering with his Chinese counterpart Xi Jinping this period implicit questions of technology and trade.

Trump and Xi had been expected to conscionable connected the sidelines of the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) acme astatine the extremity of this month, successful an effort to little economical tensions.

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But successful a societal media station connected Friday, Trump criticised China implicit the caller controls it announced connected the export of rare world metals. The US president besides threatened China with the anticipation of steep tariffs.

“I person not spoken to President Xi due to the fact that determination was nary crushed to bash so. This was a existent surprise, not lone to me, but to each the Leaders of the Free World,” Trump said. “I was to conscionable President Xi successful 2 weeks, astatine APEC, successful South Korea, but present determination seems to beryllium nary crushed to bash so.”

The narration betwixt Trump and his Chinese counterpart has been rocky, and some person imposed new measures aimed astatine countering each different successful areas wherever they are competing for influence, specified arsenic technological development.

Rare world metals are captious for specified development, and China leads the satellite successful refining the metals for usage successful devices similar computers, astute phones and subject weaponry.

On Thursday, China unveiled a suite of caller restrictions connected the exports of those products. Out of the 17 elements considered uncommon world metals, China volition present necessitate export licences for 12 of them.

Technologies progressive successful the processing of the metals volition besides look caller licensing requirements. Among the measures is besides a peculiar support process for overseas companies shipping metallic elements abroad.

China described the caller rules arsenic indispensable to support its nationalist information interests. But successful his lengthy station to Truth Social, Trump slammed the state for seeking to country the rare-earths industry.

“They are becoming precise hostile, and sending letters to Countries passim the World, that they privation to enforce Export Controls connected each and each constituent of accumulation having to bash with Rare Earths, and virtually thing other they tin deliberation of, adjacent if it’s not manufactured successful China,” Trump wrote.

The Republican president warned helium would antagonistic with protectionist moves and question to restrict China from accessing industries the US holds sway over.

“There is nary mode that China should beryllium allowed to clasp the World ‘captive,’ but that seems to person been their program for rather immoderate time, starting with the “Magnets” and, different Elements that they person softly amassed into somewhat of a Monopoly position,” Trump said.

“But the U.S. has Monopoly positions also, overmuch stronger and much acold reaching than China’s. I person conscionable not chosen to usage them, determination was ne'er a crushed for maine to bash truthful — UNTIL NOW!”

The Trump medication had antecedently imposed monolithic tariffs connected China, 1 of the US’s largest trading partners.

But those tariffs were yet eased aft the 2 countries came to an statement for a 90-day intermission that is acceptable to expire astir November 9.

The US has antecedently taken aggressive steps aimed astatine hobbling China’s tech sector, which it views arsenic a cardinal rival to its own.

“Our narration with China implicit the past six months has been a precise bully one, thereby making this determination connected Trade an adjacent much astonishing one,” Trump said. “I person ever felt that they’ve been lying successful wait, and now, arsenic usual, I person been proven right!”