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China’s efforts to deepen economic ties with Vietnam was likely part of a plan to “screw” the US, American President Donald Trump suggested on Monday while discussing tariffs and possible exemptions for automobiles and auto parts.
“I don’t blame China. I don’t blame Vietnam. I don’t. I see they’re meeting today. Is that wonderful? That’s a lovely meeting … like trying to figure out, how do we screw the United States of America?” he told reporters in the Oval Office, claiming his predecessor Joe Biden had lost “trillions of dollars” in trade to China.
“I don’t blame President Xi [Jinping],” he said in the Oval Office during a joint news briefing with El Salvadoran President Nayib Bukele. “I like him. He likes me. I mean, you know, who knows?”
Liu Pengyu, spokesman for the Chinese embassy in Washington, told the Post that “rather than forming exclusive and closed ‘small circles’ that undermine mutual trust and cooperation among regional countries”, cooperation between countries should “contribute to peace, stability, and prosperity in the region”.
“Neighborhood remains a priority in China’s diplomacy,” he added, emphasising that strengthening unity and cooperation serves the interests of both China and Vietnam.
Speaking separately on Monday, US Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent told Bloomberg in Buenos Aires, Argentina, that any deal with China would have to come “from the top”, involving both presidents directly.