POTUS’ economic adviser Larry Kudlow has stated that the matter of reaching a trade deal with China is no longer on the top list of priorities for President Donald Trump, as he is "miffed" by Beijing's recent actions. China's alleged cover-up of the seriousness of the coronavirus outbreak in the country in its early stages, which Washington has so far failed to prove, is among the things that "miffed" Trump the most, the adviser said.
Kudlow went on to criticise China's recent decision to tighten the laws in the semi-autonomous region of Hong Kong in light of last year's protests, calling the move a "big mistake". The adviser used the matter to advance the administration's agenda, calling on all American companies operating in China, including in Hong Kong, to move their supply chains back to the US.
"And incidentally we welcome any American companies in Hong Kong or China mainland. We will do what we can for full expensing and pay the costs of moving if they return their supply chains, and their production to the United States. That's one of our key policy issues", Kudlow said.
Recent US Rows With China
A series of disagreements and rows have recently led relations between Washington and Beijing to deteriorate. US President Donald Trump insists that China hid the true statistics regarding the infections inside the country at the early stages of the COVID-19 outbreak and withheld information that it could transfer between humans, despite the fact that official Chinese sources openly suggested such a possibility long before the World Health Organisation confirmed it.
Now the US is looking to hold Beijing accountable for the human and economic losses caused by the pandemic, claiming that it could have been stopped in the initial stages if it were not for the alleged cover-up of the Chinese government. Beijing has vehemently denied allegations that it obscured any information about the spread of the infection.
In addition to this, Washington has been pressuring China over its intention to introduce a law in Hong Kong that would ban treason, sedition, and other acts that might divide the country. The US has threatened to withdraw the trading privileges that the island currently enjoys, while accusing the Communist Party of violating its promise to keep Hong Kong autonomous. Beijing slammed the US attempts as interference in China's sovereign matters, vowing to respond if such attempts continue.