President threatens to end commercial ties with Beijing
US President Donald Trump on Thursday renewed his threat to end commercial ties with China as tensions between the world’s two largest economies intensify over trade.
The US “certainly does maintain a policy option, under various conditions, of a complete decoupling from China,” Trump said in a tweet. His remarks came in response to the US Trade Representative Robert Lighthizer’s statement before a US House of Representatives committee on Wednesday.
Lighthizer, who has been at the forefront of trade negotiations with Beijing, defended the trade deal with China signed earlier this year. He assured the House Ways and Means Committee that China will fulfill its commitments to buy more US goods and services over the next two years. “I think we have what is an excellent agreement,” Lighthizer told US lawmakers. “We expect it to be honored.
