Trump says he can “let go” and not do business with China


US President Donald Trump delivers remarks at the 2020 Council for National Policy meeting in Arlington, Virginia, US, August 21, 2020. REUTERS / Tom Brenner

WASHINGTON (Reuters) – US President Donald Trump in a Fox News interview on Sunday mentioned the opportunity to disconnect the US economy from China, a major buyer of US goods.

In a video commentary, Trump initially told interviewer Steve Hilton “we do not have to” do business with China, and later said of the decoupling: “Well, it’s something that if they did not treat us well, I would surely, do that for sure. ‘

Trump waged a high-stakes trade war with China before entering a Phase 1 trade deal in January. Trump has closed the door since the Phase 2 negotiations, saying he was not happy with Beijing’s treatment of the pandemic.

In June, US Prime Minister Steven Mnuchin said a shutdown of the US and Chinese economies would result in US companies not being allowed to compete on a fair and fierce basis in China’s economy.

Report by Jan Wolfe; Edited by Daniel Wallis

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