Trump says he maintains "an excellent relationship" with China despite trade tensions

New York,.- The President of the United States, Donald Trump, said this Sunday that his Chinese counterpart, Xi Jinping, is "a great leader, a very firm, very intelligent man", and that they maintain "an excellent relationship" despite the trade tensions between the two world superpowers. "I think we'll be fine with China (...) I think we'll work it out," Trump declared on Air Force One, heading to the Middle East. Hours earlier, on his social media, Trump pointed out that his country "wants to help China, not harm it," after the Chinese Ministry of Commerce accused Washington today of derailing the trade dialogue between the two powers. You may be interested in: http://China se niega a contestar llamada telefónica de EE.UU. en medio de escalada arancelaria "Don't worry about China, everything will be fine! Respected President Xi just had a bad time. He doesn't want a (commercial) depression for his country, and neither do I. The United States wants to help China, not hurt it!" Trump wrote on Truth Social. For its part, the Chinese Ministry of Commerce assured this Sunday that the "stubborn threats to raise tariffs are not the right way to get along with China". A spokesperson for this portfolio stated in a statement that the "countermeasures" announced this week by Beijing, which include new restrictions on the export of rare earths and products related to their processing, "are necessary acts of passive defense to preserve the legitimate rights and interests of Chinese companies and industries." "We hope the U.S. will recognize its mistake, move forward with China in the same direction, and return to the path of dialogue and consultation," the spokesperson asserted, and warned that if Washington insists on taking the wrong path, Beijing "will adopt resolute measures" to protect itself. On Friday, Trump threatened to impose 100% tariffs on Chinese products and more export controls on technology in response to new measures announced this week by Beijing. When Trump was asked today on his presidential plane if imposing the new tariffs next month is still the plan, Trump responded: "Let's see what happens... November 1st".