Donald Trump declared on Tuesday that he was prepared to wait until after the US election next year to reach a trade deal with China, fuelling global economic tensions and unnerving investors a day after the US stepped up a dispute with EU allies.
Mr Trump said there was no deadline for the US-China talks, raising doubts about the prospects for resolving the dispute with Beijing.
“In some ways I like the idea of waiting until after the election,” the US president told reporters on a visit to London for a summit of the Nato alliance. “The China trade deal is dependent on one thing: Do I want to make it? . . . We’re doing very well with China right now and we can do even better.”