Trump says he thinks China can open its markets to US goods
U.S. President Donald Trump expressed optimism that China could open its markets to American goods, citing a good relationship with Chinese leader Xi Jinping. Despite ongoing tensions between Washington and Beijing over various issues, Trump believes market access will improve. He also threatened a 25% tariff on countries trading with Iran, which drew condemnation from China. Trump has not detailed his tariff plans amid rising anti-government protests in Iran.
By Bo Erickson and Kanishka Singh
JOINT BASE ANDREWS, Jan 13 (Reuters) - U.S. President Donald Trump said on Tuesday he thinks China can open its markets to American goods, once again asserting he had a good relationship with Chinese leader Xi Jinping.
“I think it’s going to happen,” Trump said when asked if he thinks Chinese markets could open to U.S. goods. He did not elaborate.
Washington and Beijing have had tense ties for years over issues like trade tariffs, intellectual property, human rights, the origins of the COVID-19 pandemic, cybersecurity and policies towards Taiwan, Hong Kong and Russia’s war in Ukraine.
A day earlier Trump
threatened to slap a 25% tariff
on countries that trade with Iran, risking reopening old wounds with Beijing, Tehran’s biggest trading partner.
China condemned Trump’s threat and Trump did not provide details on his plan to impose tariffs on countries conducting trade with Iran, which is currently seeing some of its biggest
anti-government demonstrations
in years.
Trump has been weighing how to respond to the situation in Iran, which fought a 12-day war with U.S. ally Israel last year and whose nuclear sites were bombed by the American military in June.
