China trade deficit draws critical Trump tweet

Treasury Department Under Secretary for International Affairs David Malpass on the state of the U.S. economy.

President Donald Trump said on Wednesday that China has been asked to address its large trade deficit with the U.S.

“China has been asked to develop a plan for the year of a One Billion Dollar reduction in their massive Trade Deficit with the United States. Our relationship with China has been a very good one, and we look forward to seeing what ideas they come back with. We must act soon!”

This comes as the Trump administration has been taking measures to combat what it says are unfair trade practices.

According to Reuters, the trade deficit with China in January surged 16.7% to $36 billion, the widest since September 2015. The deficit with Canada soared 65% to a three-year high of $3.6 billion.