He tweeted on Friday last week that China has stolen American intellectual property “at a rate of hundreds of billions of dollars a year” and that the US would be “better off without them”.

Trump said: “Our country has lost, stupidly, trillions of dollars with China over many years.

“They have stolen our intellectual property at a rate of hundreds of billions of dollars a year & they want to continue.

“I won’t let that happen! We don’t need China and, frankly, would be far better off without them.

“The vast amounts of money made and stolen by China from the United States, year after year, for decades, will and must stop.

“Our great American companies are hereby ordered to immediately start looking for an alternative to China, including bringing your companies home and making your products in the USA.”

Our Country has lost, stupidly, Trillions of Dollars with China over many years. They have stolen our Intellectual Property at a rate of Hundreds of Billions of Dollars a year, & they want to continue. I won’t let that happen! We don’t need China and, frankly, would be far....

— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) August 23, 2019

Earlier on Friday last week, the Chinese government announced additional tariffs on US imports worth $75bn, on products including crude oil, soybeans, peanuts, seafood, chicken, fruit, vegetables and animal fur.

This followed the American government’s announcement on 15 August of about $300bn worth of tariffs on Chinese goods.

In a statement, China said: “We hope China and the United States will resolve differences in a manner acceptable to both sides on the premise of mutual respect, equality, good faith, and consistency of words and deeds.”