"We are sealing up our Southern Border," President Donald Trump wrote on Twitter of his decision to deploy National Guard troops to the border. | Saul Loeb/AFP/Getty Images Trump calls on China to 'end unfair trade, take down barriers'

President Donald Trump on Saturday slammed China for unfair trade practices, as the two nations continue to exchange increasingly hostile threats over trade tariffs.

"The United States hasn’t had a Trade Surplus with China in 40 years. They must end unfair trade, take down barriers and charge only Reciprocal Tariffs," the president wrote on Twitter. "The U.S. is losing $500 Billion a year, and has been losing Billions of Dollars for decades. Cannot continue!"


On Thursday, Trump threatened to levy an additional $100 billion worth of Chinese goods, which could mean the possibility of tariffs on up to $150 billion of goods from Beijing. The Chinese have responded by releasing a list of U.S. products it would slap duties on if the administration follows through on the threat. The prospect of Chinese tariffs on those products, which consist mainly of agricultural commodities, has alarmed rural America where many farmers rely on the open market to sell their goods.

The two nations have been increasingly aggressive with their trade policies as Trump and his administration has argued that China's unfair practices hurt America's tech companies. Beijing has responded in the past with tariffs of their own. A spokesman for China's Commerce Ministry added on Friday that "we do not want to fight, but we are not afraid to fight trade war."

The stock market tumbled at the end of the week, with the Dow closing Friday down 572 points, a slide big enough to wipe out the gains for the week. Commerce Secretary Steven Mnuchin said the U.S. is not currently in a "trade war," but the possibility for such a conflict exists.

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“There is the potential of a trade war,” Mnuchin said during a CNBC interview on Friday. “On the one hand, we’re willing to continue negotiations. And on the other hand, the president is absolutely prepared to defend our interests.”

White House press secretary Sarah Huckabee Sanders later cautioned that Trump does not want the situation to escalate to a trade war, but the president is "the best negotiator," and would prove his past statement that such battles are "easy to win."

Trump also doubled down on his plan to send National Guard troops to the U.S.-Mexico border to help with border security. On Friday, the first wave of troops left Arizona and Texas en route to their deployment. As he has in the past, Trump slammed Democrats for not being tougher on immigration, but his plan to send troops to the border mirrors similar actions by then-Presidents Barack Obama and George W. Bush.

"We are sealing up our Southern Border. The people of our great country want Safety and Security," he added in a later tweet. "The Dems have been a disaster on this very important issue!"

CORRECTION: A previous version of this report incorrectly indicated how possible additional tariffs will be imposed. The new tariffs would be on $100 billion worth of Chinese goods.