Trump says China has become ‘very hostile’ after imposing port tariffs on US-operated or built ships
The president said "there seems to be no reason" to meet with Xi Jinping, as they were scheduled to do in two weeks in South Korea.
Donald Trump and Xi Jinping at the 2019 G20 summit in Japan. File image
President Donald Trump called China as "very hostile" after the communist regime announced Friday that will apply port tariffs on all U.S.-operated or U.S.-built ships docking at Chinese ports.
As of October 14, Beijing will begin charging $56 per net ton through April. After that date, the rate will rise to $89 and increase annually.
In a message posted on Truth Social, Trump stated that China is warning all countries that it wants to "impose controls" on all exports, regardless of the product. He claims this will "clog markets and make life difficult for virtually every country in the world," including China.
"Some very strange things are happening in China! 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," the president said.
"Nobody has ever seen anything like this but, essentially, it would 'clog' the markets, and make life difficult for virtually every country in the world, especially for China," the president added.
Trump also reported that several countries "have contacted" his administration because they "are extremely angry at this great trade hostility."
Trump: "There seems to be no reason" to meet with Xi Jinping
China's decision to impose tariffs has caused Trump to rethink his upcoming meeting with Xi Jinping in South Korea in two weeks. The meeting was scheduled when the president spoke with his Chinese counterpart in a recent call.
"I have not spoken to President Xi because there was no reason to do so. This was a real surprise, not only to me, but to all the leaders of the free world. I was to meet President Xi in two weeks, at APEC, in South Korea, but now there seems to be no reason to do so," Trump said.
The president concluded by stating that he will counter "financially" if China continues to interfere in the trade arena.
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