Chinese Finance Minister Lou Jiwei panned Donald Trump, saying the United States wouldn’t deserve to be a world leader should he become the president.
He is an “irrational type,” Lou said, according to the Wall Street Journal, citing Trump’s proposal of 45 percent tariffs on China to force the country to change its trade policies.
That tariff would violate World Trade Organization rules, Lou said, adding the U.S. “wouldn’t be entitled to world leadership” by following Trump’s lead.
“[China and the U.S.] are mutually dependent on each other,” he said. “Our economic cycles are intertwined. We have more in common than sets us apart. U.S.-China ties should be more or less as they are now.”
In response, Trump’s campaign said China is in “total violation” of WTO regulations.
“[China] will learn to deal fairly and justly or we will not deal at all,” Trump added. “All trade and other agreements will be totally and completely renegotiated.”
Lou’s comments make him the most senior Chinese official to comment on Trump, the Republican presidential front-runner.
