Trump says will hold press conference Friday on China

• Washington and Beijing are already clashing over responsibility for the extent of the coronavirus pandemic, which originated in China but has caused devastation in the United States.

WASHINGTON: US President Donald Trump said he will give a press conference Friday on China amid spiraling US-Chinese tensions over Hong Kong and the coronavirus fallout.

"We'll be announcing tomorrow what we're doing with respect to China," he told reporters at an Oval Office meeting Thursday, saying "we're not happy with China," but giving no specific details about his plans.

Fears that China will use a new law to end Hong Kong's freedom as a semi-autonomous territory have prompted expectations that Trump plans to hit back, possibly signaling a wider confrontation between the two economic superpowers.

Washington and Beijing are already clashing over responsibility for the extent of the coronavirus pandemic, which originated in China but has caused devastation in the United States.

Trump blames the crisis on China, although his domestic critics accuse him of mismanagement.