July 31, 2017 | By: The Associated Press.
A senior Chinese trade official said Monday the issue of China-U.S. trade should be kept separate from the issue of North Korean security threats, pushing back on statements from President Donald Trump. Vice Commerce Minister Qian Keming’s remarks came after Trump over the weekend complained that China had benefited massively from trade with the U.S. while providing no help resolving problems with North Korea.
“North Korea’s nuclear issue and the issue of trade between China and the United States are two different issues. They are not related. You cannot speak about them together,” Qian told reporters at a news conference to announce new trade data. Qian also emphasized the mutual benefits of China’s trade and investment with the U.S., rebuffing Trump’s repeated claims that Beijing has exploited liberal U.S. trade policies to its own advantage.
Trump sent a pair of tweets on Sunday, saying: “I am very disappointed in China. Our foolish past leaders have allowed them to make hundreds of billions of dollars a year in trade, yet…they do NOTHING for us with North Korea, just talk. We will no longer allow this to continue. China could easily solve this problem!”
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