On May 14, in an interview with Fox Business Network, President Trump said he was very disappointed with China’s failure to contain the disease and that the pandemic had cast a pall over his January trade deal with Beijing, which he previously hailed as a major achievement.
Trump said, “They should have never let this happen. So I make a great trade deal and now I say this doesn’t feel the same to me. The ink was barely dry and the plague came over. And it doesn’t feel the same to me.”
Referring to Xi Jinping, Trump said, “But I just – right now I don’t want to speak to him.”
When he was asked about a Republican senator’s suggestion to deny visas to Chinese students applying to study in fields related to national security, such as quantum computing and artificial intelligence, Trump replied, “There are many things we could do. We could do things. We could cut off the whole relationship.”
“Now, if you did, what would happen? You’d save $500 billion,” Trump said, referring to estimated U.S. annual imports from China, which he often refers to as lost money.
Related postings on Chinascope:
- Diplomacy: China Lambasted Pompeo
- Diplomacy: France Called in China Ambassador Because of Chinese Embassy’s Remarks
- Diplomacy: Germany Refused to Chinese Diplomats Lobby Request to Praise China
- Diplomacy: China Asked Wisconsin Senator for Praise, But Got Condemnation in Return
- Diplomacy: Pompeo “Loots a Burning House”
Source: Reuters, May 14, 2020
https://www.reuters.com/article/us-health-coronavirus-usa-china/trump-says-doesnt-want-to-talk-to-xi-right-now-could-even-cut-china-ties-idUSKBN22Q2BD