By Andrew BEATTY
US President Donald Trump has predicted an upcoming meeting with his Chinese counterpart Xi Jinping would be "very difficult", staking out an adversarial position ahead of the high-profile first summit between the leaders.
Trump's comments Thursday appeared to herald a return to a tougher line from the president, who took a hawkish tone on the Asian giant in the weeks after his election before softening his rhetoric.
"The meeting next week with China will be a very difficult one," Trump tweeted, in apparent reference to a Xi visit planned for next week in Mar-a-Lago.
"We can no longer have massive trade deficits... and job losses. American companies must be prepared to look at other alternatives."
The summit at Trump's Florida residence will be the first face-to-face meeting between the heads of the world's two most powerful nations and leading economies.
It follows a rocky start to US-China relations under the billionaire politician, who has repeatedly blasted Beijing for its trade policies and reluctance to bring pressure on North Korea over its nuclear and missile programs.
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