Donald Trump says China is buying ‘a lot’ of US products
- Trump’s comments follow US data showing surge in farm product exports to China
- ‘Getting along with China would be a good thing’, Trump says, while mixing compliments and criticism over Beijing’s handling of coronavirus
US President Donald Trump suggested on Friday that his trade deal with China was intact, delivering a rare note of optimism about bilateral relations with Beijing at a time of unprecedented strain between the two sides.
Speaking in a White House briefing meant to tout unexpectedly upbeat employment data released earlier in the day, Trump noted that the country is buying “a lot” of American goods, but added that a positive outcome was not guaranteed. He also reiterated criticism about Beijing’s handling of the coronavirus pandemic.
“I will say [China is] buying a lot from us, and in that way I respect, and getting along with China would be a good thing,” Trump said. “I don’t know if that’s going to happen. I’ll let you know.”
Discussing efforts by world leaders to recover from the coronavirus pandemic, Trump said: “We’re working with the world and we’ll work with China too. We’ll work with everybody.”
The phase-one trade deal ended threatened tariffs on around US$155 billion worth of Chinese imports that were set to take effect at the end of 2019 and halved tariffs to 7.5 per cent on another US$120 billion in goods. But it kept in place the 25 per cent import taxes on US$250 billion worth of Chinese products.