“Trump, China discuss prospects for US-China cooperation China’s top diplomat said on Tuesday that he hoped the new administration of US President-elect Donald Trump would “make the right choice” and work with Beijing, hours after Trump told reporters that the pandemic COVID-19 has complicated his relationship with his “friend” President Xi Jinping.”, — write on: unn.ua
Details
“We hope that the new US administration will make the right choice and cooperate with China in a mutually beneficial way to remove disruptions and overcome obstacles,” Foreign Minister Wang Yi said at a forum in Beijing, according to a statement from his ministry.
The remarks came after President-elect Trump said in his first press conference since winning the election six weeks ago that Chinese President Xi Jinping was his friend and that “he’s an amazing guy” but that relations were strained.
“We had a very good relationship before COVID,” Trump told reporters gathered at his Mar-a-Lago resort in Florida on Monday when asked if Xi would attend his inauguration. “Covid didn’t end the relationship, but it was too big a bridge for me.”
“China and the United States can solve all the problems of the world together, if you think about it,” Trump said. “That’s why it’s very important, and he was a friend of mine.”
At the same time, Trump has appointed China hardliners to key diplomatic and economic posts in his administration, signaling that his policy toward the US’s main strategic rival could be even more confrontational than during his first term.
Republican Senator Marco Rubio, Trump’s pick to be the next secretary of state, is under Chinese sanctions imposed in 2020. It is not clear how the main “hawk” on China in the Senate will interact with Beijing, taking into account the sanctions.
China is also ready to keep pace with the Trump administration, the publication notes.
Wang told delegates that Beijing “resolutely opposes the US’s illegal and unjustified suppression of China and, in particular, must firmly and resolutely respond to the US’s brutal interference in China’s internal affairs, such as Taiwan.”
The two superpowers outline their positions ahead of Trump’s return to the White House. His first term led to a trade war that disrupted global supply chains and hurt nearly every economy as inflation and the cost of borrowing soared, the newspaper said.
Addition
When Joe Biden was sworn in as US president in January 2021, China said it wanted to cooperate with the new administration and imposed sanctions on former Secretary of State Mike Pompeo and 27 other senior officials who previously worked under Trump.
Trump has made it clear that he plans to pick up where he left off with Beijing, promising to impose an additional 10 percent tariff on Chinese goods to push China to do more to stem the flow of fentanyl to the United States.
He has also previously promised to end China’s top trade favor status and impose tariffs on Chinese imports of more than 60% – far higher than those imposed during his first term.
In response, China is seeking to build up a trump card to open talks with the new US administration on contentious aspects of bilateral ties, including trade and investment and science and technology, analysts say.
At the same time, the statement from January 20, 2021 about Chinese sanctions against 28 former Trump officials cannot be found on the website of the Chinese Ministry of Foreign Affairs. Asked to comment on the situation at a regular press conference on Tuesday, spokesman Lin Jian said he had no information to provide.