China criticizes US as Trump, Xi honeymoon ends

China lashed out at the US on Friday in protest at an apparent sea change in the Trump administration’s policy towards Beijing as the White House prepared to slap punitive restrictions on Chinese steel imports, agreed an arms deal with Taiwan, and sanctioned a Chinese bank, the Financial Times reports. Cui Tiankai, the Chinese ambassador to Washington, criticized the $1.4bn Taiwanese weapons deal and what he called the “long-arm jurisdiction” of the US in sanctioning Chinese companies. Cui said the US actions undermined the mutual confidence built up by both sides and that they were “counter to the spirit of the Mar-a-Lago summit.” The deteriorating relations come less than 100 days since Trump hosted Xi at his Mar-a-Lago estate and said the leaders would have a “very great relationship.” Since then, the White House has become frustrated China was not doing enough to pressure North Korea to abandon its ballistic missile and nuclear programs.