COMMON BASE ANDREWS: U.S. President Donald Trump said Tuesday he believes China can open its markets to U.S. goods and reiterated his good relationship with Chinese leader Xi Jinping.
“I think it’s going to happen,” Trump said when asked if he thinks Chinese markets can open up to American goods. He did not elaborate.
Washington and Beijing have had strained ties for years over issues such as trade tariffs, intellectual property, human rights, the origins of the COVID-19 pandemic, cybersecurity and policies toward 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 that trade with Iran, which is currently experiencing some of its biggest anti-government demonstrations in years.
Trump has been considering how to respond to the situation in Iran, which fought a 12-day war with US ally Israel last year and whose nuclear facilities were bombed by the US military in June.
