China’s president has warned Donald Trump of “negative factors” emerging in their bilateral relationship just hours after Beijing lashed out at Washington for sending a navy destroyer near a disputed island in the South China Sea.
The message from Xi Jinping, made in a phone conversation with Mr Trump on Monday morning, came after the White House took a series of moves that have angered Beijing, including a $1.4bn arms sale to Taiwan and imposing sanctions on a Chinese bank for doing business with North Korea.
Analysts in China have viewed the Trump administration’s actions as an end to the “honeymoon” between Mr Xi and Mr Trump that emerged after the two leaders’ warm summit at Mr Trump’s Mar-a-Lago estate in April.