WASHINGTON: President Donald Trump cast China as central to his economic and national-security agenda, arguing that tariffs, tighter technology rules, and new manufacturing incentives had turned the United States into “the hottest country anywhere in the world.” As he rolled back Biden-era auto-efficiency regulations at an Oval Office event, Trump repeatedly invoked China in discussions of trade, artificial intelligence, semiconductor controls, and lawsuits targeting his tariff policies.
Trump told lawmakers and industry leaders that the United States had overtaken China in key strategic technologies. “AI, we’re leading China in AI. We’re leading everybody in everything,” he said, linking that claim to what he described as a surge of industrial investment. He argued that tariffs were powering this shift: “It’s bringing in trillions of dollars of wealth. It’s bringing in national security.” He further asserted that tariffs serve as a geopolitical tool, declaring, “I’ve stopped eight wars… five of them because of tariffs and trade.”
China resurfaced as Trump denounced a court challenge aiming to limit his tariff authority. Those behind the case, he claimed, “represent foreign countries, including China… and they’re scum.” He also recounted what he said was confusion among officials about tariff revenue, insisting it had recently produced $30 billion. “Check the tariff shelf,” he said he told aides, who later confirmed the funds came from tariffs. Semiconductors—a core front in U.S.–China rivalry—were another focus. When asked whether he had advised NVIDIA CEO Jensen Huang on chip export controls to China, Trump said, “He knows very well.” He argued that domestic chip production was expanding rapidly: “We’re going to have a big percentage of the chip industry. As of a year or two ago, we had none.” He tied that growth directly to his tariff strategy, saying chipmakers must build in the U.S. or face penalties.
China also appeared in an exchange about a “mileage blocker” device affecting auto-lease markets, which dealers said was distributed through China and the U.K. Trump responded that he had never heard of it. Throughout the event, Trump framed tariffs on China and other countries as the foundation of his industrial policy, claiming they strengthened national security and reversed decades of offshoring. U.S.–China tensions continue to intensify over tariffs, technology transfers, supply-chain security, and semiconductor export controls. (IANS)
Also Read: ‘Tariffs are made in the USA, but resilience is made in India’