US President Donald Trump turned to Twitter on Tuesday to say that the US national security can't be used as an "excuse" to make it hard for other countries and especially for China to buy US products.
The United States cannot, & will not, become such a difficult place to deal with in terms of foreign countries buying our product, including for the always used National Security excuse, that our companies will be forced to leave in order to remain competitive. We want to sell...
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) February 18, 2020
Speaking further, the US president said that he wanted China to buy US jet engines.
....product and goods to China and other countries. That’s what trade is all about. We don’t want to make it impossible to do business with us. That will only mean that orders will go to someplace else. As an example, I want China to buy our jet engines, the best in the World....
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) February 18, 2020
Trump's statements come two days after The Wall Street Journal reported that the US could block deliveries of General Electric and French Safran SA jet engines to China amid renewed tensions over alleged technology theft.
The development comes a month after the US and China signed a Phase One Deal on a broader trade agreement that was a breakthrough in a trade war that had been simmering between the two major economies for nearly 18 months.