WASHINGTON: US Trade Representative Robert Lighthizer on Wednesday slammed Beijing for failing to offer “meaningful reform” on aggressive trade policies that harm US workers and industry, and threatened tariffs on Chinese autos.
The latest trade threat against China comes days before President Donald Trump is due to meet with Chinese leader Xi Jinping at a G20 summit in Argentina to defuse the ongoing trade conflict between the world’s top two economic powers.
Instead, Lighthizer’s statement escalated the dispute further, saying: “China’s aggressive, state-directed industrial policies are causing severe harm to US workers and manufacturers.”
And while talks continue, “As of yet, China has not come to the table with proposals for meaningful reform,” he said.
The country’s policies on auto tariffs are “especially egregious,” taxing US cars at more than double the rate it charges other countries.
“At the president’s direction, I will examine all available tools to equalize the tariffs applied to automobiles,” he said.
Trump already has imposed steep punitive tariffs on about half of the Chinese goods imported into the US market each year, and has threatened to target the remaining $267 billion as well — which would hit Apple iPhones and laptops produced in China.
Earlier this month, Xi and Trump discussed the US-China trade conflict during a phone conversation that Trump called “very good.”
Xi said he was “very happy” to talk to Trump again.
But tensions came to the fore again at a summit when Xi and US Vice President Mike Pence delivered competing speeches criticizing each other’s trade and investment practices.
Xi lashed out at “America First” trade protectionism, while Pence warned smaller countries not to be seduced by China’s massive Belt and Road infrastructure program.
Trump heads to Buenos Aires on Thursday for a Group of 20 summit that is confronted with increasingly dire warnings, by the International Monetary Fund among others, of the potential harm faced by the world economy from the president’s trade wars.
Trump is due to meet Xi for a working dinner at the summit that runs Friday and Saturday.
Economic adviser Larry Kudlow told a White House press conference that “the president said there is a good possibility that we can make a deal and he is open to it.”
Despite Kudlow’s repeated insistence that Trump sees cause for optimism, he also underlined the tough conditions that the administration wants to impose on Beijing.
“China should change its practices and come into the community of responsible trading nations,” Kudlow said, stressing that he considers the US economy in far better shape than China’s to weather a prolonged trade war.
“We are in a position to deal with it and handle it very well,” he said.
China will have to give way on “fairness and reciprocity,” he said, warning that US concerns over intellectual property theft and China’s forced technology transfers “must be solved.”
US slams harmful China trade policies, threatens auto tariffs
US slams harmful China trade policies, threatens auto tariffs
- Xi and US Vice President Mike Pence had recently delivered competing criticized each other’s trade and investment practices
- Trump is due to meet with Xi Jinping at a G20 summit in Argentina to defuse the ongoing US-China trade conflict
First EU–Saudi roundtable on critical raw materials reflects shared policy commitment
RIYADH: The EU–Saudi Arabia Business and Investment Dialogue on Advancing Critical Raw Materials Value Chains, held in Riyadh as part of the Future Minerals Forum, brought together senior policymakers, industry leaders, and investors to advance strategic cooperation across critical raw materials value chains.
Organized under a Team Europe approach by the EU–GCC Cooperation on Green Transition Project, in coordination with the EU Delegation to Saudi Arabia, the European Chamber of Commerce in the Kingdom and in close cooperation with FMF, the dialogue provided a high-level platform to explore European actions under the EU Critical Raw Materials Act and ResourceEU alongside the Kingdom’s aspirations for minerals, industrial, and investment priorities.
This is in line with Saudi Vision 2030 and broader regional ambitions across the GCC, MENA, and Africa.
ResourceEU is the EU’s new strategic action plan, launched in late 2025, to secure a reliable supply of critical raw materials like lithium, rare earths, and cobalt, reducing dependency on single suppliers, such as China, by boosting domestic extraction, processing, recycling, stockpiling, and strategic partnerships with resource-rich nations.
The first ever EU–Saudi roundtable on critical raw materials was opened by the bloc’s Ambassador to the Kingdom, Christophe Farnaud, together with Saudi Deputy Minister for Mining Development Turki Al-Babtain, turning policy alignment into concrete cooperation.
Farnaud underlined the central role of international cooperation in the implementation of the EU’s critical raw materials policy framework.
“As the European Union advances the implementation of its Critical Raw Materials policy, international cooperation is indispensable to building secure, diversified, and sustainable value chains. Saudi Arabia is a key partner in this effort. This dialogue reflects our shared commitment to translate policy alignment into concrete business and investment cooperation that supports the green and digital transitions,” said the ambassador.
Discussions focused on strengthening resilient, diversified, and responsible CRM supply chains that are essential to the green and digital transitions.
Participants explored concrete opportunities for EU–Saudi cooperation across the full value chain, including exploration, mining, and processing and refining, as well as recycling, downstream manufacturing, and the mobilization of private investment and sustainable finance, underpinned by high environmental, social, and governance standards.
From the Saudi side, the dialogue was framed as a key contribution to the Kingdom’s industrial transformation and long-term economic diversification agenda under Vision 2030, with a strong focus on responsible resource development and global market integration.
“Developing globally competitive mineral hubs and sustainable value chains is a central pillar of Saudi Vision 2030 and the Kingdom’s industrial transformation. Our engagement with the European Union through this dialogue to strengthen upstream and downstream integration, attract high-quality investment, and advance responsible mining and processing. Enhanced cooperation with the EU, capitalizing on the demand dynamics of the EU Critical Raw Materials Act, will be key to delivering long-term value for both sides,” said Al-Babtain.
Valere Moutarlier, deputy director-general for European industry decarbonization, and directorate-general for the internal market, industry, entrepreneurship and SMEs at European Commission, said the EU Critical Raw Materials Act and ResourceEU provided a clear framework to strengthen Europe’s resilience while deepening its cooperation with international partners.
“Cooperation with Saudi Arabia is essential to advancing secure, sustainable, and diversified critical raw materials value chains. Dialogues such as this play a key role in translating policy ambitions into concrete industrial and investment cooperation,” she added.
