“Bummer. I was going to take my family to Beijing for summer vacation,right after visiting Tehran,” said Cruz.

“The Communist Party of #China has banned me from entering the country. I guess they don’t like me?” tweeted Rubio.

Pompeo's comments on the South China Sea are likely to further escalate tensions.

"We are making clear:Beijing’s claims to offshore resources across most of the South China Sea are completely unlawful,as is its campaign of bullying to control them,"Pompeo said.

The two countries have been at loggerheads over a range of issues,from coronavirus to espionage and the economy.

The escalations have raised doubts about what is known as the Phase One trade deal between the US and China,under which China had pledged to increase the volume of purchases across numerous sectors in exchange for the rolling back of tariffs on more than $US112 billion ($161.5 billion) worth of goods.

When asked today if the deal remained in place,Trump told reporters:“It’s intact,but I think what China has done to the world with what took place - the China plague … whatever you want to call it,it’s got 20 different names - what they did to the world should not be forgotten."He was likely referring to the coronavirus pandemic which is believed to have originated in the Chinese city of Wuhan late last year.