‘If they don’t do business with us …’: Trump warns China of ‘big trouble’; seeks ‘fair deal’ amid tariff row

US President Donald Trump expressed confidence in reaching a fair trade deal with Chinese President Xi Jinping, even as his top trade official accused Beijing of “economic coercion.“Speaking to reporters on Monday (local time), Trump said, “we’re going to have a fair deal,” adding, “I want to be good to China. I love my relationship with President Xi. We have a great relationship.”The US President also outlined plans for upcoming meetings with Xi, saying, “I believe after we leave South Korea, we’ll be there together. We thought that would be a good place to meet. I’ve been invited to go to China and I’ll be doing that sometime fairly early next year. We have it sort of set. But I think we’re going to have a very good relationship with China.”Also read: ‘Fantastic deal or 155% tariffs’, Trump sets tone ahead of Xi meet on US-China trade talks – watchHowever, he further warned that Beijing might be “in big trouble,” if it is not involved in doing trade with the US.“If they don’t do business with us, I think China is in big trouble. I’ll be honest with you. I think China is. I don’t know that they even make it. I really do. I believe that they’re in big trouble. And I don’t want them to be in big trouble. I want them to do great. I want them to thrive. But we have to thrive together. It’s a two way street.”Speaking on the topic of Taiwan, Trump suggested China had no plans to invade. He also pointed out that the issue would likely arise during his meeting with Xi on the sidelines of an economic conference in South Korea next week. When asked if the US military presence in the Indo-Pacific was enough to deter Beijing, he said, “China doesn’t want to do that.” Also read: Trump says he’s ‘not looking to hurt China’; lists key demands for trade dealTrump made his remarks as he met Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese, signing a critical minerals agreement aimed at countering China’s influence in the region. US trade representative Jamieson Greer took also a tougher line, warning that Washington would respond to a “broader pattern of economic coercion” by Beijing against firms investing in key US industries.Just a day earlier, Trump had said that the US might lower tariffs for China but only if it agrees “to do things” for America. These concessions included buying more soybeans from the US, halting restrictions on rare earth and other security issues.These comments come as US and China are set to meet for a new round of trade negotiations aimed to drag down tariffs.