USA will take “toughest line” against Mexico and China on trade, a senior administration official said.
“It will be more stringent than what they have taken,” White House press secretary Sarah Huckabee Sanders told reporters.
Trump is set to meet with China’s President Xi Jinping in Washington on Thursday, where they are expected to discuss trade.
“He’s going to be looking at how we can help each other in terms of trade and trade liberalization and he’s going as far as he can to push China and China to come in and take advantage of the opportunities that the United States and China have in the Asia-Pacific region,” Sanders said.
Trump will meet with Chinese President Xi Xi Jinping on Thursday in Washington, where he is expected to highlight trade opportunities in the region.
Trump and Xi are set to discuss bilateral trade and investment issues.US trade sanctions against China were lifted on February 5, 2018, with a reduction in duties, which included tariffs on the Chinese products.
The US has also lifted a series of trade restrictions against the country, including the ban on imports from Chinese goods.
China, meanwhile, said the US has violated international law and will “pay dearly for its actions”.
“The US has broken the law with its unilateral and unfair actions on trade.
It will pay dearly for this and we will be stronger for it,” Chinese Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Hua Chunying said.US Trade Representative Robert Lighthizer said the administration will be making “tough decisions” on the trade sanctions and other actions, including imposing penalties on US firms that violate the trade rules.
Trump has vowed to revive the “very unfair” trade policies of the Obama administration, and has previously expressed support for Beijing in terms that could benefit China’s economy.
Trump and Xi, who are also expected to attend Trump’s first state visit to the United State, are expected hold bilateral talks at the White House in the coming days.
Trump’s travel ban against China, North Korea and Russia, which took effect on March 16, has been widely criticised by human rights groups.
US Secretary of State Rex Tillerson and US ambassador to the UN Nikki Haley said on Tuesday they would “continue to seek to resolve this matter through diplomacy” and to “seek common ground”.