President Donald Trump has said the United States will no longer tolerate what he called chronic trade abuses.
He made the remarks while addressing the Asia-Pacific Economic Co-operation (APEC) summit in the Vietnamese port city of Da Nang.
APEC brings together 21 economies from the Pacific region which is the equivalent of about 60% of the world’s GDP. President Trump said he would always put US interests first and APEC nations should abide by fair reciprocal trade.
President Trump said America would make bilateral agreements with any Indo-Pacific partner who abides by fair reciprocal trade, on a basis of mutual respect and mutual benefit.
President Trump also criticised the World Trade Organization, saying it cannot function properly if all members do not respect its rules. In stark contrast, Chinese President Xi Jinping said globalisation was irreversible and voiced support for multilateralism.
Mr Trump visited China and Japan prior to attending the APEC summit as part of his five-nation Asia tour.
