In call with Trump, Xi says US interfering in Chinese internal affairs

Xi said that China is deeply concerned about “the negative words and deeds” of the United States on issues related to Taiwan, Hong Kong, Xinjiang and Tibet, China’s Xinhua news agency reported on Friday.

“These actions have interfered in China’s internal affairs, harmed China’s interests and undermined mutual trust and cooperation between the two sides,” Xinhua said, quoting Xi.

Trump, however, said on Friday he had a “very good talk” with President Xi and claimed progress on issues from trade to North Korea and Hong Kong.

Trump tweeted that China “already started large scale” increases in purchases of US farm goods.

“Had a very good talk with President Xi of China concerning our giant Trade Deal. China has already started large scale purchase of agricultural product & more. Formal signing being arranged. Also talked about North Korea, where we are working with China, & Hong Kong (progress!),” Trump tweeted.

Had a very good talk with President Xi of China concerning our giant Trade Deal. China has already started large scale purchaes of agricultural product & more. Formal signing being arranged. Also talked about North Korea, where we are working with China, & Hong Kong (progress!).— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) December 20, 2019

The two leaders spoke a week after their envoys reached a “Phase 1” agreement which is expected to see China boost imports of US agricultural and other goods, while Washington easing massive tariffs on Chinese imports.

China Central Television said President Xi spoke to Trump following a request from the US president.

The Chinese news agency Xinhua reported that President Xi hoped Trump would implement “the important consensus” reached during their meetings and phone calls and “pay close attention to and attach importance to China’s concerns, and prevent the interference of bilateral relations and the important agenda.”

The US and China have been engaged in a trade conflict for 18 months and have imposed billions of dollars of tariffs on each other’s goods.

Since early 2018, the Trump administration has pursued a deliberate policy of attempting to hurt China’s economy in response to concerns about the shifting balance of economic power and unfair trade practices.

The US and China are also engaged in a number of other disputes, including US naval operations in the South China Sea, and the US relationship with Taiwan, and US Congress support for protesters in Hong Kong.

China has accused the United States of harboring “sinister intentions” in signing into law two bills that support the anti-government protests in Hong Kong, the semi-autonomous Chinese territory, and has summoned the US envoy over the issue.

Trump last month signed into law a controversial piece of legislation, the so-called “Hong Kong Human Rights and Democracy Act,” that had attracted bipartisan support from Congress days before.

China summons US envoy over Hong Kong billChina’s Foreign Ministry summons the United States’ ambassador to Beijing to protest the passing in the US Congress of a bill related to Hong Kong.

The new law requires the US State Department to certify, at least every year, that Hong Kong has sufficient autonomy to justify favorable US trading terms that have helped it maintain its status as an international financial hub.

The law also threatens officials responsible for alleged violations of human rights in Hong Kong with sanctions, including visa bans and asset freezes.

Trump also signed another piece of legislation that bans the export to the Hong Kong riot police of crowd-control munitions, including teargas canisters, pepper spray, rubber bullets, and stun guns.

Former US Secretary of State Henry Kissinger has warned the trade war between the United States and China could lead to a global military conflict if the two countries fail to resolve their commercial dispute.

US-China trade war could spark global military conflict: KissingerFormer US secretary of state Henry Kissinger warned on Thursday that an armed conflict could break out between the US and China if they fail to resolve their trade war.

Kissinger, 96, made the sober remarks last month at the Bloomberg New Economy Forum in Beijing.

“If conflict is permitted to run unconstrained, the outcome could be even worse than it was in Europe,” he said at the Bloomberg New Economy Forum.

“World War I broke out because of a relatively minor crisis … and today the weapons are more powerful,” the former top diplomat warned.