{"id":51519,"date":"2017-11-09T06:54:34","date_gmt":"2017-11-09T06:54:34","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.biphoo.com\/bipnews\/?p=51519"},"modified":"2017-11-09T06:54:34","modified_gmt":"2017-11-09T06:54:34","slug":"in-beijing-trump-presses-china-on-north-korea-and-trade","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.biphoo.com\/bipnews\/world-news\/in-beijing-trump-presses-china-on-north-korea-and-trade.html","title":{"rendered":"In Beijing, Trump presses China on North Korea and trade"},"content":{"rendered":"

In Beijing, Trump presses China on North Korea and trade<\/span><\/strong><\/span><\/h2>\n

U.S. President Donald Trump pressed China to do more on the North Korean nuclear issue on Thursday and said bilateral trade had been unfair to the United States, but praised President Xi Jinping\u2019s pledge that China would be more open to foreign firms.<\/span><\/p>\n

On North Korea, Trump said \u201cChina can fix this problem quickly and easily\u201d, urging Beijing to cut financial links with North Korea and also calling on Russia to help.<\/span><\/p>\n

Trump was speaking alongside Xi in the Chinese capital to announce the signing of about $250 billion in commercial deals between U.S. and Chinese firms, a display that some in the U.S. business community worry detracts from tackling deep-seated complaints about market access in China.<\/span><\/p>\n

Xi said the Chinese economy would become increasingly open and transparent to foreign firms, including those from the United States, and welcomed U.S. companies to participate in his ambitious \u201cBelt and Road\u201d infrastructure-led initiative.<\/span><\/p>\n

Trump made clear that he blamed his predecessors, not China, for the trade imbalance, and repeatedly praised Xi, calling him \u201ca very special man\u201d.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cBut we will make it fair and it will be tremendous for both of us,\u201d Trump said.<\/span><\/p>\n

Xi smiled widely when Trump said he does not blame China for the deficit and also when Trump said Xi gets things done.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cOf course there are some frictions, but on the basis of win-win cooperation and fair competition we hope we can solve all these issues in a frank and consultative way,\u201d Xi said.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cKeeping opening up is our long-term strategy. We will never narrow or close our doors. We will further widen them,\u201d he said. China would also offer a more fair and transparent environment for foreign firms, including U.S. ones, Xi said.<\/span><\/p>\n

MODEST PROGRESS<\/span><\/p>\n

Trump is pressing China to tighten the screws further on North Korea and its development of nuclear weapons. At least modest progress is hoped for, although there are no immediate signs of a major breakthrough, a U.S. official said earlier.<\/span><\/p>\n

Referring to Xi, Trump said: \u201cI do believe there\u2019s a solution to that, as do you.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

Xi reiterated that China would strive for the denuclearization of the Korean peninsula but offered no hint that China would change tack on North Korea, with which it fought side-by-side in the 1950-53 Korean war against U.S.-led forces.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cWe are devoted to reaching a resolution to the Korean peninsula issue through dialogue and consultations,\u201d Xi said.<\/span><\/p>\n

In a show of the importance China puts on Trump\u2019s first official visit, Thursday\u2019s welcoming ceremony outside Beijing\u2019s Great Hall of the People overlooking Tiananmen Square was broadcast live on state television – unprecedented treatment for a visiting leader.<\/span><\/p>\n

Earlier on Thursday, Xi said he had a deep exchange of views with Trump and reached consensus on numerous issues of mutual concern.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cFor China, cooperation is the only real choice, only win-win can lead to an even better future,\u201d he said.<\/span><\/p>\n

Xi said China and the United States strengthened high-level dialogue on all fronts over the past year and boosted coordination on major international issues, such as the Korean peninsula and Afghanistan.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cRelations between China and the United States are now on a new historical starting point,\u201d Xi said.<\/span><\/p>\n

Trump and Xi hit it off at their first meeting in April at Trump\u2019s Mar-a-Lago resort in Florida and continued their \u201cbromance\u201d on Wednesday with an afternoon of sightseeing together with their wives. However, deep divisions persist over trade and North Korea.<\/span><\/p>\n

And while Xi is riding high after consolidating power at a twice-a-decade Communist Party Congress last month, Trump comes to China saddled with low public approval ratings and dogged by investigations into Russian links to his election campaign.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u2018HORRIBLE\u2019 TRADE SURPLUS<\/span><\/p>\n

Trump has ratcheted up his criticism of China\u2019s massive trade surplus with the United States – calling it \u201cembarrassing\u201d and \u201chorrible\u201d last week – and has accused Beijing of unfair trade practices.<\/span><\/p>\n

For its part, China says U.S. restrictions on Chinese investments in the United States and on high-tech exports need to be addressed.<\/span><\/p>\n

Several corporate chief executives were in Beijing as part of a delegation led by U.S. Commerce Secretary Wilbur Ross, with General Electric and semiconductor maker Qualcomm Inc among those announcing billions of dollars in sales to China.<\/span><\/p>\n

But Qualcomm\u2019s agreement to sell $12-billion worth of components to three Chinese mobile phone makers over three years is non-binding, and critics say such public announcements are sometimes more show than substance.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cThis shows that we have a strong, vibrant bilateral economic relationship, and yet we still need to focus on leveling the playing field because U.S. companies continue to be disadvantaged doing business in China,\u201d said William Zarit, chairman of the American Chamber of Commerce in China.<\/span><\/p>\n

Trump railed against China\u2019s trade practices during the 2016 U.S. presidential campaign and threatened to take action once in office. But he has since held back on any major trade penalties, making clear he was doing so to give Beijing time to make progress reining in North Korea.<\/span><\/p>\n

A U.S. official said both sides were \u201cin sync\u201d about wanting to minimize friction during the visit and recreate the positive tone of the April summit.<\/span><\/p>\n

Trump was not expected to put much emphasis in his talks with Xi on thorny issues such as the disputed South China Sea and self-ruled Taiwan, claimed by China as its own, although the leaders\u2019 aides may deal with those matters privately, the official told Reuters, speaking on condition of anonymity.<\/span><\/p>\n

China has repeatedly pushed back at suggestions it should be doing more to rein in North Korea, which does about 90 percent of its trade with China, saying it is fully enforcing U.N. sanctions and that everyone has a responsibility to lower tension and get talks back on track.<\/span><\/p>\n

Source:-\u00a0http:\/\/www.reuters.com\/article\/us-trump-asia-china\/in-beijing-trump-presses-china-on-north-korea-and-trade-idUSKBN1D9034<\/span><\/p>\n

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