Trump suggests trade deal can wait for Hong Kong resolution
Posted Aug 14, 2019 7:16 pm.
WASHINGTON — President Donald Trump is suggesting that trade talks with China can wait until tensions in Hong Kong have eased. He tweeted: “Of course China wants to make a deal. Let them work humanely with Hong Kong first!”
Trump also praised Chinese President Xi Jinping, calling him a “great leader” and saying he could quickly resolve the situation on Hong Kong if he wanted to.
Trump has previously said little about the protests in the semi-autonomous Chinese city, except to make it clear he believes that Hong Kong and China need to “deal with that themselves.” He has urged the two sides to exercise caution.
His more extensive comments Wednesday came as U.S. stock markets tumbled, in part because of uncertainty over Trump’s trade standoff with Beijing.
Kevin Freking, The Associated Press
