Trump has announced plans for tariffs on China, Canada and Mexico since taking office, but many other countries worldwide are also bracing for similar measures. It was Trump's latest trade threat against China, the world's second-largest economy after the US, and Washington's biggest geopolitical rival, according to Al Jazeera TV channel.

President Trump left Washington four years ago touting a revolutionary new consensus on the threat posed by China. He returned this week seeming to downplay that threat — signaling a potential thaw in relations between the world's two leading superpowers.