Trump: ‘China will take down its trade barriers’

President Trump on Sunday touted his friendship with Chinese President Xi Jinping but vowed that Beijing will remove its “trade barriers” amid increased tensions between the two countries.

“President Xi and I will always be friends, no matter what happens with our dispute on trade,” the president wrote on Twitter.

“China will take down its Trade Barriers because it is the right thing to do. Taxes will become Reciprocal & a deal will be made on Intellectual Property. Great future for both countries!”

President Xi and I will always be friends, no matter what happens with our dispute on trade. China will take down its Trade Barriers because it is the right thing to do. Taxes will become Reciprocal & a deal will be made on Intellectual Property. Great future for both countries!

— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) April 8, 2018

{mosads}The tweet comes after the United States and China have each made threats to impose tariffs on each other’s goods.  

The Trump administration said it plans to enact tariffs on about $50 billion worth of Chinese imports, causing China to respond with its own $50 billion tariff package aimed at U.S. goods including automobiles.

China one week ago announced another tariff package targeting U.S. fruit and pork after Trump announced levies on imported steel and aluminum.

The threats have caused concerns over a potential trade war, but Trump has dismissed this notion.

“We are not in a trade war with China, that war was lost many years ago by the foolish, or incompetent, people who represented the U.S.,” the president said last Wednesday. 

“Now we have a Trade Deficit of $500 Billion a year, with Intellectual Property Theft of another $300 Billion. We cannot let this continue!”