US President Donald Trump said the US and China – the world’s two largest economies – “will have a great relationship,” even despite his warning that he could “destroy China.”
“We have much bigger and better cards than they do,” Trump told reporters Monday in the Oval Office before a bilateral meeting with South Korean President Lee Jae-myung.
“They have some cards. We have incredible cards. But I don’t want to play those cards. If I did, that would destroy China,” Trump said, adding “I’m not going to play those cards.”
It was not immediately clear whether Trump’s “cards” referred to economic influence, political influence, or something else, according to Fox News.
Trump threatened Beijing with 200 percent tariffs if China did not transfer rare earth minerals to the US.
China’s sensitivity over rare earth materials and its control over the supply is growing, with Beijing adding several rare earth elements and magnets to its export restrictions list in April in response to increased tariffs by the US.
