Want to negotiate a fair deal with China: Trump

Says Putin probably involved in assassinations, poisoning but not in US

President Donald Trump has said he is willing to negotiate a fair deal with China and want the Asian giant to open its market like the US.

Having slapped China with additional tariff on import of its products worth $250 billion, Trump did not rule out coming up with more tariffs on Chines products.

In an interview with CBS News’s popular 60 Minute programme, Trump described this as a skirmish, and not war or a battle as being characterised by experts, and asserted that he would win this against China. If things does not improve, he might not have a good relationship with his Chinese counterpart Xi Jinping, he said. “I have a great chemistry also with President Xi of China. I don’t know that that’s necessarily going to continue. I told President Xi we cannot continue to have China take $500 billion a year out of the United States in the form of trade and others things,” Trump told CBS.

Xi is one of the few world leaders to have been hosted by Trump at his Mar-a-Lago resort in Florida. Trump has travelled to China and has met Xi multiple times after he became the US President On January 20, 2017.

However, the relationship has soured since then and has now reached an all time low since the historic visit of the then US President Richard Nixon in 1972.

Responding to a question, Trump claimed China, even if it wants, cannot retaliate beyond a point. “They can retaliate, but they can’t — they don’t have enough ammunition to retaliate. We do $100 billion (worth of business) with them. They do $531 billion with us,” he said.

He denied he wanted to push the Chinese economy into depression. “No no, although they’re down 32% in four months, which is 1929,” he said. “I don’t want that. No, I don’t want that. I want them to negotiate a fair deal with us. I want them to open their markets like our markets are open,” Trump said, reiterating that he wants a fair deal with China.

Trump exuded confidence he will win what he described as a “skirmish” with China. “I called it, actually I called it a battle. But, actually, I’m gonna lower that. I consider it a skirmish. And we’re gonna win,” he said.

Further, the President claimed his Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin was “probably” involved in assassinations and poisonings, but “it’s not in our country”.

He also spoke about his relationship with North Korea, Russia, and his own West Wing staff and Cabinet.

About the accusation he was leery of criticising Putin, he challenged the question. “I think I’m very tough with him personally. I had a meeting with him, the two of us,” Trump said, referring to his much-criticised summit with the Russian leader in which he declined at a Press meet to endorse the US’s assessment Russia interfered in the 2016 presidential election. “It was a very tough meeting, and it was a very good meeting.”

If he thought Moscow meddled in the 2016 presidential election, Trump said he did not think it was just Russia. “They meddled. But I think China meddled, too. And I think other countries... And I think, frankly, China is a bigger problem,” he said.

About North Korea, he said he knew about leader Kim Jong-un’s human rights violations, but that his efforts have resulted in fewer threats to the US. “Sure. I know all these things. I mean, I’m not a baby. I know these things,” he said.

“Look, let it be whatever it is. I get along with him really well. I have a good energy with him. I have a good chemistry with him. Look at the horrible threats that were made. No more threats. No more threats.”

China can’t retaliate. They don’t have enough ammunition to retaliate. We do $100 billion (worth of business) with them. They do $531 billion with us. —US President