President Donald Trump on Thursday called on China to look into former Vice President Joe Biden and his son Hunter, on the eve of restarted trade talks between the two economic superpowers.

Biden's campaign shot back at Trump, saying he was dishing out a "grotesque choice of lies over truth and self over the country."

Trump, speaking outside the White House before departing for Florida, mentioned China after pressing his call for Ukraine to launch a probe into Biden and his son — a request he made in a July 25 phone call with Ukraine's president that led Democrats to launch an impeachment inquiry.

"If they were honest about it, they would start a major investigation into the Bidens," Trump said when asked what he wanted Ukraine President Volodymyr Zelensky to do about the former veep and his son.

"They should investigate the Bidens," Trump said. "Likewise, China should start an investigation into the Bidens, because what happened in China is just about as bad as what happened with Ukraine."

Trump said that "I haven't" asked Chinese President Xi Jinping to do so, "but it's certainly something we should start thinking about."

It wasn't immediately clear what Trump believes "happened in China" related to the Bidens. The New Yorker delved into some of Hunter Biden's Chinese connections in a lengthy piece in July.

Trump pulled China into the brewing controversy just one week before a Chinese delegation was set to arrive in Washington to resume protracted trade negotiations. Administration officials have for many months signaled optimism about reaching a sweeping deal with China that addresses issues including trade deficits and intellectual property theft, and Trump told the U.N. General Assembly last week that he will not accept a "bad deal" with China.

"I have a lot of options on China, but if they don't do what we want, we have tremendous power," Trump said of the U.S.' stance in the talks before he was asked about the Bidens.