Trump says he has a ‘very good relationship’ with Chinese President Xi
Trump says he has a ‘very good relationship’ with Chinese President Xi – and won’t say whether he will defend Taiwan as it will ‘damage’ negotiations if elected in 2024
- Former President Donald Trump said he has a “very good relationship” with Chinese President Xi Jinping
- He kept tight-lipped during his interview with Fox’s Bret Baier about how he would handle Taiwan if it were re-elected in 2024
- “So if I tell you an answer, it’s going to hurt me during the negotiations assuming I win,” Trump said.
Former President Donald Trump said Monday he has a “very good relationship” with Chinese President Xi Jinping, but declined to say what he would do if China invaded Taiwan.
The ex-president told Fox News Channel’s Bret Baier that by revealing his views on Taiwan, he would put himself at a disadvantage if he had to negotiate with Xi.
Trump was asked about foreign policy by Baier after he defended holding classified documents and arguing with the Fox host about who won the 2020 election in a sit-down that aired Monday night. The second half will be broadcast on Tuesday.
‘So if I give you an answer, it will hurt me in the negotiations assuming I win,” Trump replied when asked if he believed Taiwan should be independent. “But I have a very good relationship with President Xi.”
Baier pressured Trump, asking him if he would send US troops to defend Taiwan if China invaded. “I don’t want to say that because it hurts me during negotiations with President Xi,” Trump said.
Former President Donald Trump would not reveal his views on whether Taiwan should be independent or whether to allow the US military to respond to a Chinese invasion, as it would weaken his negotiating position.
“Now he knows what I would do and besides, for four years they didn’t invade Taiwan and they never even talked about it,” the former president continued.
Trump noted how his relationship with Xi deteriorated with the advent of the COVID-19 pandemic, as Wuhan, China, was the first city to discover the coronavirus.
China has not cooperated with global health authorities to find out how the pandemic started.
“After COVID came in, I really didn’t want the relationship and kind of ended the relationship,” Trump said.
Trump generally stressed that his personality was enough to keep dictators at bay.
“And for four years, Russia never thought about it, because Putin and I had a very good relationship — business relationship — but I got along with him and he got along with me,” Trump added.
Trump was asked about US-China relations just after Secretary of State Antony Blinken’s trip there.
Blinken’s aim was to calm relations after the spy balloon incident in February.
Trump was asked to respond to President Joe Biden’s comments about the ballooning, which the Democrat on Saturday characterized as “more embarrassing” than “intentional.”
Secretary of State Antony Blinken (left) met with Chinese President Xi Jinping (right) in Beijing this week. Blinken was supposed to make the trip in February, but the trip was postponed after the discovery of the Chinese spy balloon flying over the US
“So a statement like that is so stupid,” Trump said.
He boasted that “there would be no spy balloon over our country” had he been in office.
“Shooting above our nuclear sites and we killed it after it already was – it left, it went back home to China wherever it went – but we shot it down over the ocean after it had done all its work, said the former president.
“You know, they don’t keep it on the balloon and then you pick it up,” he continued. “That stuff is immediately sent back to China if taken.”
Three Chinese spy balloons were found to have traveled over the United States during Trump’s tenure as president.
The Trump-era balloons were not discovered until after the Biden balloon incident.