Trump warns of halting cooking oil imports from China amid renewed trade tensions

US President Donald Trump on Tuesday threatened to suspend imports of cooking oil and other trade items from China, calling Beijing’s halt of American soybean purchases an “economically hostile act.”
“We are considering terminating business with China having to do with cooking oil and other elements of trade, as retribution,” Trump wrote on his Truth Social platform.
His remarks came shortly after he sought to ease tensions, telling reporters at the White House: “We have a fair relationship with China, and I think it’ll be fine. And if it’s not, that’s okay too.”
Trade friction between the world’s two largest economies has reignited during Trump’s second term, with tit-for-tat tariffs reaching as high as 100 percent.
In an interview with the *Financial Times* on Monday, US Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent accused Beijing of trying to destabilize the global economy after it imposed sweeping export controls on rare earths — materials vital to high-tech industries.
Trump, however, insisted that Washington must remain cautious in dealing with China. “I have a great relationship with President Xi (Jinping), but sometimes it gets testy because China likes to take advantage of people,” he said. “When punches are thrown, you’ve got to put up the blocks.”
Trump added that China’s suspension of US soybean imports was hurting American farmers, many of whom rely on agricultural exports to sustain their livelihoods.
Imports of animal fats, greases, and processed oils — including used cooking oil — have surged in the US in recent years, driven by growing demand for biomass-based diesel production.
Following Beijing’s latest export restrictions, Trump said he would impose an additional 100-percent tariff on Chinese goods starting November 1, a move US Trade Representative Jamieson Greer said could be implemented sooner depending on China’s actions.
China, the world’s top producer of rare earth minerals used in electric vehicles, electronics, and defense equipment, has accused Washington of “double standards.”
“This is a sign of how weak their economy is, and they want to pull everybody else down with them,” Bessent told the Financial Times.
Tensions also threaten a planned meeting between Trump and Xi at the upcoming Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) summit, after Trump hinted he might cancel the talks.
In response, China on Tuesday warned that it was prepared to “fight to the end” if a trade war with the United States escalates further.
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