President Trump said Tuesday that China’s refusal to buy soybeans from U.S. growers is a “hostile act” and he is considering payback, such as a ban on cooking oil imports from the Asian superpower.

Mr. Trump, writing on Truth Social, said the U.S. can easily produce its own cooking oil.

“We don’t need to purchase it from China,” Mr. Trump said.

The threat came as the world’s largest economies face new ruptures over trade.

China recently decided to restrict exports of rare earth elements and other products crucial to smartphones, electric vehicles and military equipment.

Mr. Trump responded by saying he planned to impose a whopping 100% tariff on Chinese goods, effective Nov. 1, unless he could work something out with Chinese President Xi Jinping.

Meanwhile, the U.S. used to be the soybean provider of choice for China. Yet the communist country’s buyers are turning to sellers in Brazil because of trade tension and reciprocal tariffs that kicked in this year.

China recently bought multiple cargoes of soybeans from Argentina, even as the U.S. moved to bail out the South American country.

Mr. Trump on Tuesday said China seemed to be trying to create a rift between the U.S. and Argentina.

“China likes to draw wedges,” Mr. Trump said during a White House meeting with Argentine President Javier Milei. “It’s not going to mean anything in the end.”

Later, Mr. Trump said he thinks China is “purposefully” trying to avoid American soybeans and is committing an “economically hostile act.”

“We are considering terminating business with China having to do with Cooking Oil, and other elements of trade, as retribution,” he wrote.

• Tom Howell Jr. can be reached at thowell@washingtontimes.com.