Trump says China is ‘killing us with unfair trade deals’

U.S. president Donald Trump on Wednesday said his tough stance on China’s behavior in global markets would ultimately benefit the American economy, even as Beijing signaled it could strike back by curbing sales of critical chemicals known as rare earths.

The U.S.-China trade war escalated sharply in recent days after Washington on Monday branded Beijing a currency manipulator for the first time since 1994, and said it would impose 10% tariffs on the remaining $300 billion in Chinese imports, starting on Sept. 1.

The moves have jolted financial markets and fueled concerns about a global recession.

U.S. Treasury yields slumped on Wednesday, with 30-year yields nearing record lows, on growing fears of a global downturn and bets the Federal Reserve would have to cut interest rates further to counter growing recession risks.

Trump told reporters at the White House that the market reaction had been anticipated, but he remained confident in the strength of the U.S. economy.

“Ultimately, it’s going to go much higher than it ever would have gone, because China was like an anchor on us. China was killing us with unfair trade deals,” he said.

White House officials say they still expect Chinese negotiators to come to Washington in September for talks, and that the latest tariffs could still be averted if the world’s two largest economies make progress on a trade agreement.

But hopes for a deal are dimming. Goldman Sachs on Tuesday said it no longer expects the United States and China to reach agreement before the November 2020 presidential election given the “harder line” being pursued by both sides.

Financial markets have calmed somewhat amid signs that China would not allow the yuan to weaken much further after letting it slip below 7 per dollar for the first time in over a decade.

But China still has some levers left to pull.

The Chinese rare earths association on Wednesday said it would support countermeasures in the escalating trade dispute with the United States and accused Washington of using “trade bullying behavior” to suppress China’s development.

The Association of China Rare Earth Industry issued a statement after a special working meeting on Monday to discuss the “guidance” given by Chinese President Xi Jinping during his visit to a rare earth plant in Jiangxi in May.

Xi’s visit stoked fears China would use its dominance over production of rare earths, a group of 17 chemical elements prized for their use in consumer electronics and military equipment, in the escalating trade war, although no restrictions on supplies have so far been announced.