Trump blames China for not stopping Covid-19 pandemic

( May 15) In an interview with Fox Business this Thursday Trump continued to criticize China about the COVID-19 pandemic claiming that China had failed to prevent the spread of the virus and the pandemic had cast a pall over the US trade deal with China.

The interview

In the Fox Business News interview Trump said that he was very disappointed with China's failure to contain COVID-19 and claimed that the pandemic cast a pall over their trade deal in January this year. Trump said: "They should have never let this happen. So I make a great trade deal and now I say this doesn't feel the same to me. The ink was barely dry and the plague came over. And it doesn't feel the same to me."

While before Trump has stressed his good relationship with President XI in the interview he that at present he did not even want to speak to him.

Trump even suggests that the US could cut off its whole relationship to China.

Trump insists cutting off Chinese imports would save billions

Trump insists that if the US cut off all relationships with China it would save $500 billion. He is referring to the estimated annual imports from China which he has before referred to as lost money. This is nonsense in that the money buys goods that are often cheaper and just as good as from other sources and some are not even available in the US. The US also exports to China which brings money in to the US. Many US businesses are dependent upon raw materials or parts made in China. Cutting off China trade can only hurt them and force them to find other often more expensive sources for items they need. This could even make some US firms noncompetitive. Given the negative results for breaking off all relations with China perhaps Trump's suggestion is an empty threat unlikely to be carried out. However, perhaps the negative consequences will be overlooked.

Zhao Lijian Chinese foreign ministry spokesperson said to reporters in Beijing Friday that maintaining a steady bilateral relationship between the two countries benefited both countries and world peace and stability :"Both China and the U.S. should now be cooperating more on fighting the virus together, to cure patients and resume economic production, but this requires the U.S. to want to work with us on this."

Previously published in the Digital Journal