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Donald Trump has described Xi Jinping as “extraordinarily arduous to make a cope with” as the 2 international locations face off over claims from the US that China is reneging on a commerce truce signed in Geneva final month.
“I like President Xi of China, at all times have, and at all times will, however he’s VERY TOUGH, AND EXTREMELY HARD TO MAKE A DEAL WITH!!!” the US president stated on his Fact Social platform.
It was not instantly clear if Trump’s feedback have been in response to latest direct contact with Xi.
The feedback comply with accusations from Washington final week that China is failing to dwell as much as a promise to approve licences for exports of uncommon earths, resulting in shortages which are threatening to close down components of US business.
China in flip accused the US this week of “severely violating” the commerce truce that the 2 financial powers agreed in Switzerland.
Trump and his officers have insisted {that a} dialog between the US president and his Chinese language counterpart is required to resolve the commerce dispute however Beijing has given no indication that it has agreed to a name between the 2 leaders.
On Tuesday, China’s overseas minister Wang Yi advised the brand new US ambassador to China, David Perdue, that Beijing had “earnestly and strictly applied the consensus reached by each side” in Geneva.
“Sadly, the US has just lately launched a collection of destructive measures on unfounded grounds, undermining China’s legit rights and pursuits, which China firmly opposes,” Wang stated.
After the Geneva talks, the 2 international locations slashed tariffs on one another’s items for no less than the subsequent 90 days, with the additional levies the US imposed on China this yr falling to 30 per cent and China’s declining to 10 per cent.
As a part of the deal, China additionally agreed to “droop or cancel” non-tariff measures towards the US however didn’t present any particulars.
US officers believed that Beijing would unwind export restrictions on uncommon earths that Beijing unveiled in early April, and grew more and more pissed off by the sluggish tempo of approvals.
The Chinese language stated the US had violated the Geneva settlement by stepping up controls on Huawei chips globally, halting gross sales of chip design software program to Chinese language corporations, and cancelling visas for Chinese language college students.