Donald Trump on Sunday threatened China, one of the main trading partners of the United States, with 50% tariffs on its goods, in which Beijing would provide military support to Iran in the Middle East war, reports AFP.
“If they're caught doing that, they're going to be subject to 50 percent tariffs, which is huge,” the US president told Fox News.
Donald Trump is due to travel to Beijing on May 14-15, where he will meet his Chinese counterpart Xi Jinping, after postponing an earlier summit because of this war.
The White House leader's reaction comes amid media reports that US intelligence agencies believe China is preparing to deliver new air defense systems to Iran in the next few weeks.
That's what three people familiar with recent intelligence assessments told CNN the other day. According to the quoted station, there are indications that Beijing is trying to route the shipments through third countries to hide their origin.
Beijing is preparing to transfer shoulder-launched anti-aircraft missile systems, known as MANPADs, CNN said.
It would be a provocative move, given that Beijing has said it helped negotiate the fragile cease-fire deal between Iran and the US earlier this week.
And Iran could use the ceasefire as an opportunity to replenish its stockpile of certain weapons systems with the help of key foreign partners, CNN also wrote.
A spokesman for the Chinese Embassy in Washington said: “China has never supplied weapons to any party involved in the conflict; the information in question is untrue.”
“As a responsible great power, China has consistently fulfilled its international obligations. We urge the US side to refrain from making unfounded accusations, establishing malicious ties and practicing sensationalism; we hope that the parties involved will make more efforts to help reduce tensions,” he added.
