Xi Jinping fires shots at US before Trump meeting, without mentioning him

Chinese president paints the U.S. as the bad guy in his country's spiraling trade conflict.

As Chinese President Xi Jinping prepares for one of the most important meetings of his seven-year rule, he appears to have Donald Trump on the brain--even if he won’t say so directly.

In conversations with other leaders ahead of his sit down tomorrow with the U.S. president on the sidelines of the Group of 20 summit in Japan, Xi spared no opportunity to paint the U.S. as the bad guy in China’s spiraling trade conflict, while avoiding the provocative step of naming Trump personally.

In remarks to African leaders this morning, Xi took a not-so-subtle swipe at Trump’s policy slogan, "America first."