US President Donald Trump has sharply criticized China’s suspension of American soybean purchases, calling it an “economically hostile act” and warning that Washington could retaliate by halting imports of cooking oil from Beijing.
“We are considering terminating business with China having to do with cooking oil, and other elements of trade, as retribution,” Trump wrote on his Truth Social platform on Tuesday.
His online outburst came only hours after he appeared to downplay tensions between both nations. “We have a fair relationship with China, and I think it’ll be fine. And if it’s not, that’s okay too,” Trump told reporters at the White House.
Trade hostilities between the world’s two largest economies have flared again under Trump’s second presidency, with tariffs on both sides once soaring to triple-digit levels.
US Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent also accused China of destabilizing global markets through its new export restrictions on rare earth elements, crucial for the automotive, defense, and tech industries.
“This is a sign of how weak their economy is — they want to pull everybody else down with them,” Bessent told the Financial Times.
Trump warned that China’s halt in soybean purchases was severely hurting US farmers, emphasizing that the administration was “ready to respond.”
Adding to the tension, Washington plans to impose a 100% tariff on Chinese goods starting November 1, though US Trade Representative Jamieson Greer suggested the measure could come sooner “depending on China’s actions.”
Beijing has, however, pushed back, accusing the US of “double standards” and vowing to “fight to the end” in any trade conflict.
The renewed dispute comes just weeks before a planned APEC summit where Trump and President Xi Jinping were expected to meet — a meeting now at risk following Trump’s threats.
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