US President Donald Trump has said that his phone talks with Chinese President Xi Jinping were “very, very good” and “very, very warm,” stressing that better Sino-American relations will benefit Japan.
He made the remarks during a press conference with visiting Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe in Washington on Friday.
He was answering a question by a Japanese reporter from the conservative Sankei Shimbun newspaper, who was inquiring about Washington’s commitment to Asia in the light of China’s “hardline stance” in the region. The reporter was also seeking Trump’s opinion on China’s currency and foreign exchange policies “which are not good for the United States.”
US President Donald Trump (R) and Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe hold a joint press conference in the White House in Washington, DC on February 10, 2017. /CFP Photo
Trump’s answer to the biased question came in a moderate tone, hinging on optimism.
He said that the US and China “are on the process of getting along very well,” adding that improved relations between the two countries “will also be very much of a benefit to Japan.”
“I believe that it will all work out very well for everybody – China, Japan, the United States and everybody in the region.”
Commenting on currency and foreign exchange policies, Trump said that the US and China will eventually be “at a level playing field.”
“Probably very much sooner than a lot of people understand or think,” he stated.
Chinese President Xi Jinping (R) and US President Donald Trump held a phone conversation on February 10, 2017. /CGTN Photo
Chinese media were quick to take note of the provocative question and how Trump dealt with it.
Global Times newspaper indicated on its account on China’s Twitter-like Weibo that the journalist aimed at “sowing dissension between China and the US,” noting that Trump “did not mention a single word about China’s threat” and instead praised his conversation with Xi.
CFP Photo
The two leaders held a phone conversation earlier on Friday – their first since Trump took office on January 20. It came a few days after Trump sent a letter to Xi expressing his hopes to “develop a constructive relationship.”
During their phone talks, the US president said he adheres to the one-China policy.
Lu Kang, spokesperson for China's Ministry of Foreign Affairs, said at a press conference on Friday that China highly praises Trump upholding the one-China policy, which is the fundamental basis for Sino-American ties.
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