Trump Dubs Xi Jinping's Vietnam Tour A Ploy To 'Screw' US Amid Heightened Trade Tensions

President Donald Trump said on Monday that his Chinese counterpart Xi Jinping's tour of Vietnam was essentially to "screw" the U.S. amid ongoing trade tensions between the world's two largest economies.

"I don't blame China; I don't blame Vietnam," Trump said to reporters. "That's a lovely meeting. Meeting like, trying to figure out, 'how do we screw the United States of America?'"

Trump's Chinese counterpart is visiting Vietnam as part of a Southeast Asia tour to strengthen bilateral ties with neighbors amid tariff uncertainty.

Xi arrived in Hanoi on Monday, met with Vietnamese top leader To Lam, and signed dozens of agreements, including efforts to enhance supply chains and railways.

"There are no winners in trade wars and tariff wars, and protectionism has no way out," Xi reportedly told Vietnamese media.

Trump raised the tariffs on Chinese exports to the U.S. to a steep 145% after Beijing retaliated and began retaliating with its own set of tariffs. China has currently set a 125% tariff on U.S. imports.

However, Trump has slightly dialed back on tariff measurements and exempted some consumer electronics and semiconductors from levies.

Vietnam is trying to negotiate a lower tariff rate after Trump set an initial reciprocal levy of 46% on the country. The U.S. is the single largest destination of Vietnamese goods.

According to a Reuters report, Vietnam plans to crack down on some Chinese goods that are exported under "Made in Vietnam" labels to avoid tariffs.

Hanoi is also wary of antagonizing its northern neighbor, China. Beijing has made several investments in the country, and the two countries have had troubles regarding maritime boundaries.

During the first quarter, Vietnam imported goods worth about $30 billion from China, while it exported goods worth about $31.4 billion to the U.S.

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