Stormy G20 looms
Trump bashes China, India on trade tariffs ahead of summit as world leaders gather in Japan
♦ US-China trade war looks set to dominate the meeting
♦ Tensions grow over final statement on climate change
US President Donald Trump yesterday set the tone for what promises to be a stormy G20 summit by lashing out at friends and foes alike over trade tariffs and foreign policy.
The long-running US-China trade war looked set to dominate the two-day meeting of world leaders in Osaka from today but clashes also loomed over climate and a series of hotspots ranging from North Korea to Iran.
On board Air Force One en route to Japan, Trump fired off a characteristically bullish tweet, chiding long-standing ally India for “unacceptable” tariffs on American goods.
“India, for years having put very high Tariffs against the United States, just recently increased the Tariffs even further. This is unacceptable and the Tariffs must be withdrawn,” tweeted Trump.
The US president had earlier taken aim at China, saying Beijing wanted to do a deal because the world’s number-two economy was “going down the tubes”.
Furious at what he sees as an unfair advantage in the trading system, Trump has already hit Beijing with $200 billion in levies on Chinese imports and appeared to threaten more.
“You have another $325 billion that I haven’t taxed yet -- it’s ripe for taxing, for putting tariffs on,” he said in an interview with Fox Business Network.
Tensions over the final statement on climate change are likely to burst into the open, with a German source saying it was “particularly difficult this year” to reach agreement.
Chinese President Xi Jinping touched down in Osaka several hours before Trump in driving rain as a potential typhoon edges towards Japan. The two leaders are expected to meet tomorrow.