A leading Chinese newspaper on Friday made a scathing attack on US President Donald Trump for his repeated accusations against China on Twitter adding that his messages are from an alternative universe. Official newspaper China Daily said: "There are few things more disconcerting than a tweet by the US President as they initially seem to accord to reality but then quickly turn into messages from some alternative universe." It said in an editorial.

The article argued that although Donald Trump's allegations of China hacking former presidential candidate Hillary Clinton's emails have been refuted by the Chinese Foreign Ministry, "that will not deter the US president from smearing China's image as he desperately needs a scapegoat in the run-up to the midterm elections, so he can divert public attention from the troubles the White House has become mired in".