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Eyeing North Korea, Donald Trump holds on to bargaining chip with China
US president marks 100 days in office with rally, saying now is not the time to brand Beijing a currency manipulator as they deal with North Korea
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US President Donald Trump is holding on to his threat to label China as a currency manipulator as a bargaining chip to deal with North Korea, analysts say, even though Beijing may not play ball.
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Going back to his core support base in a campaign-style rally in Pennsylvania to mark his first 100 days in the White House, Trump said now was “not exactly the right time” to confront Beijing when President Xi Jinping (習近平) was helping him rein in North Korea’s aggressive pursuit of ballistic missiles capable of carrying nuclear weapons.
He was speaking just after North Korea test-fired a ballistic missile – although it was said to have ended in failure – in defiance of international condemnation.
During last year’s presidential campaign, Trump had pledged to label Beijing a currency manipulator on his first day in office.
Beijing is more worried about the stability of North Korea than being labelled as a currency manipulator by the US
“We have currency manipulation by China, but China is helping us – possibly or probably – with the North Korean situation,” Trump said at his latest rally.
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