"Such an easy way to avoid Tariffs? Make or produce your goods and products in the good old USA. It’s very simple!" he said Saturday on Twitter, echoing a similar message he sent Friday ‐ and even retweeted.
Trump had accused Beijing of reneging on its commitments in trade talks and ordered new punitive duties, which took effect Friday, on $200 billion worth of Chinese imports, raising them to 25 percent from 10 percent.
He then cranked up the heat further, ordering a tariff hike on almost all remaining imports ‐ $300 billion worth, according to US Trade Representative Robert Lighthizer ‐ from the world’s second-biggest economy.
Those tariffs would not take effect for months, after a period of public comment.
The developments came as two days of US-Chinese talks ended Friday with no deal ‐ but no immediate breakdown either ‐ offering a glimmer of hope that Washington and Beijing could yet find a way forward.
Only a week earlier, the two had seemed poised to complete a sweeping agreement.
Washington wants Beijing to tighten its intellectual property protections, cut its subsidies to state-owned firms and reduce the yawning trade deficit; China wants an end to tariffs as part of a "balanced" deal.