The highest Chinese official to comment on the US election has said that Donald Trump in the White House would mean the US “wouldn’t be entitled to world leadership”.

Mr Trump has proposed tariffs of up to 45 per cent to force China to change its trade policies.

Mr Lou responded that such a tariff would violate World Trade Organization rules, and therefore the US would no longer be a major world power.

Mr Trump is an “irrational type”, added the outspoken official in an interview with the Wall Street Journal.

In a statement from his campaign, Mr. Trump responded that China was “in total violation of WTO regulations” and that the US “has incompetently allowed them to get away with this” and has failed to impose “equal or greater taxes and tariffs” on China.

When questioned on Mr Trump’s tough talk on China, Mr Lou said the US and China “are mutually dependent on each other”, with “more in common than sets us apart”.

China is leading the G20 group of finance ministers this year, who met in Washington DC over the weekend.

Mr Lou said he does not expect trade policies between the two countries to change much.

His comments were the first direct reference to the GOP frontrunners.