Donald Trump has said that if he returns to the White House China would not dare provoke him because President Xi Jinping knows the Republican is “crazy”.

Speaking to the Wall Street Journal’s editorial board, Trump said that if elected president next month, he would impose tariffs on China if it sought to blockade Taiwan.

“I would say: if you go into Taiwan, I’m sorry to do this, I’m going to tax you at 150% to 200%,” he said.

On the campaign trail, the Republican candidate has argued that America’s adversaries would not act against US interests under a new Trump presidency because they would fear a forceful, even unpredictable, response.