Last summer, Trump promised Chinese President Xi Jinping that he would remain silent on anti-democratic measures in the region when they were negotiating a trade agreement, even though he signed
new sanctions law potentially targeting Chinese and Hong Kong officials. In November, Trump said that he stood with democratic protesters in Hong Kong – but “I also support President Xi, he is my friend.”
Things are different now that Trump has identified China as a scapegoat for a pandemic that has killed nearly 100,000 Americans. “It all came from the top. They could have easily stopped the plague, but they didn’t do it,”
he tweeted last week. Relying on anti-Chinese sentiment, his government has called the new controversial security law “a disaster,” and when Hong Kong residents take to the streets in protest, Trump may tiptoe toward a pause with Xi.
Two questions floated as new Cold War fears grew: First, how long did Trump’s friends act with Xi compatible with his all-out attack on China? Second, does the President still see rescuing the trade agreement as important for his re-election hopes? The answer will shape how the US moves in Hong Kong, amid calls in Congress for decisive action. One final sanction remains in Trump’s arsenal: revoking the special US trade status of Hong Kong, which could destroy its role as an international financial center.
