President Donald Trump wants to make sure China doesn't start manipulating its currency again, Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin said Tuesday.
In a tweet Monday, the president accused Russia and China of "playing the currency devaluation game," even though a Treasury report said the countries were not manipulating.
"It was a warning shot at China and Russia about devaluation. China has devalued their currency in the past," Mnuchin said in an interview on CNBC's "Squawk Box." "They've used a lot of their reserves to actually support the currency. The president wants to make sure they don't change their plans, and he's watching it."
Mnuchin also addressed global issues including pending tariffs the White House has announced against China and other trading partners.
Mnuchin declined to speculate whether Trump would opt to join the Trans Pacific Partnership trading agreement, saying only that the president wants to keep negotiating in hopes of getting terms more favorable to the U.S.
"I'm cautiously optimistic," and you'll know when we have a deal," he said.