Trump threatens ‘massive’ tariffs on Chinese imports

He said ‘there seems to be no reason’ to meet with Xi Jinping as part of a trip to South Korea after China restricted exports of rare earths needed for US industry

- Agence France-Presse

US President Donald Trump (left) meets with Chinese President Xi Jinping during a meeting on the sidelines of the G-20 summit in Osaka, Japan, on June 29, 2019.

(AP)

US President Donald Trump said on Friday he no longer feels the need for a summit with Chinese leader Xi Jinping this month, slamming Beijing for hostile trade practices and threatening “massive” tariffs.

In a lengthy and unexpected Truth Social post, Trump railed against China imposing export controls on rare earth minerals -- a critical component in modern technology.

“Some very strange things are happening in China! They are becoming very hostile,” Trump said in the post, which he sent as he headed for a medical checkup at a military hospital near Washington.

“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,” he said, adding that he had also seen no reason to call Xi about the issue.