US President Donald Trump has dragged China into his battle against European taxes and regulations targeting American technology giants, accusing Europe of singling out US firms and giving Chinese tech companies “a complete pass”.

The claim was quickly rejected by the Chinese business community, with one executive dismissing Trump’s post as “political rhetoric” that does not “align with the reality”, while analysts said the attack was likely part of Trump’s plan to pressure Europe into easing regulations and favouring US firms.

Trump appeared to be making a coded reference to the digital taxes imposed by several European countries and the European Union’s Digital Services Act regulating major tech companies – policies that the president has vocally opposed.

“They also, outrageously, give a complete pass to China’s largest tech companies,” Trump added in the same post.

The idea that Europe was soft on Chinese technology companies was strongly rebutted by Chinese businesses on the continent.