Beijing media threatens ‘showdown’ after Donald Trump’s appointment of ‘anti-China’ trade hawk Peter Navarro, by Neil Connor.

China will force a “showdown” with the US if Washington dares to challenge it, Chinese media warned on Friday as it expressed alarm over Donald Trump’s appointment of hawkish economist Peter Navarro to his administration.

“The US can no longer push China around today,” the state-run Global Times told Washington in an editorial questioning the president elect’s appointment of Mr Navarro as the head of a new White House National Trade Council.

Has the US ever publicly commented on Chinese leadership appointments? Are there any members of the Chinese Politburo with anti-US leanings? Trying it on, because generations of western leaders have let them.

Mr Trump’s appointment of the academic is being seen as the clearest signal yet that the president-elect intends to back up his tough rhetoric from the election campaign and take a hard line against Beijing.

US manufacturing has lost five million jobs since 2000 and Mr Trump has laid much of the blame for that with China. He has threatened to enforce stricter trade laws and impose a 45 per cent tariff on Chinese imports.

Mr Navarro, 67, a professor at University of California, Irvine, advised Mr Trump during the campaign.

As well as describing what he sees as America’s losing economic war with China, he has also highlighted concerns over environmental issues relating to Chinese imports and the theft of US intellectual property.

hat-tip Stephen Neil