US President Donald Trump on Friday accused China of mounting a “hostile” trade campaign by sending letters to governments worldwide outlining plans to impose export restrictions on rare earth elements and other essential materials.
In a detailed post on Truth Social, Trump claimed Beijing’s actions could “clog the markets” and disrupt international trade, describing the move as “a rather sinister and hostile” step.
“They are becoming very hostile, and sending letters to countries throughout the world, that they want to impose Export Controls on each and every element of production having to do with Rare Earths, and virtually anything else they can think of, even if it’s not manufactured in China,” Trump wrote.
The US President said he had not spoken with Chinese President Xi Jinping about the development and suggested that their planned meeting at the upcoming APEC Summit may no longer be necessary. “Now seems to be no reason to do so,” he remarked.
Trump warned that Washington was preparing a strong economic response to counter Beijing’s measures.
“One of the Policies that we are calculating at this moment is a massive increase of Tariffs on Chinese products coming into the United States of America,” he said, noting that other retaliatory actions were also “under serious consideration.”
Calling China’s move “especially inappropriate,” Trump pointed out that it coincided with his announcement of “peace in the Middle East.” He suggested the timing was deliberate, saying it appeared designed to “undermine global stability.”
