China speaks out after Trump says Covid-19 has caused a estrangement in relations

China's top diplomat made the remarks as the country's relationship with the US faces the possibility of change under the incoming Trump administration.

Mr. Wang Yi speaks at the United Nations General Assembly in New York on September 28.

Reuters on December 17 quoted Politburo member - Chairman of the Central Party's Foreign Affairs Commission - Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi expressing hope that the upcoming administration of US President-elect Donald Trump "makes the right choice" and works with Beijing.

"We hope the new US administration will make the right choice and work with China in a mutually beneficial way to remove disruptions and overcome obstacles," Wang Yi said at a forum in Beijing.

Hours earlier, at his first press conference since his election, Mr Trump said the Chinese president was a friend of his and a “great guy”, but that relationship had become strained.

"We had a good relationship until the Covid-19 pandemic. Covid-19 did not end the relationship but it was a very sudden change for me," he said at a press conference at the Mar-a-Lago resort (Florida, USA).

When President Joe Biden was sworn in in January 2021, China said it wanted to cooperate with the new administration and imposed sanctions on former Secretary of State Mike Pompeo and 27 other senior officials who worked under Mr. Trump.

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The two sides laid out their positions before Mr Trump returned to the White House. His first term in office resulted in a trade war that upended global supply chains and hurt almost every economy as inflation and borrowing costs soared.

Mr Trump has hinted at plans to continue those measures with Beijing, vowing to impose an additional 10% tariff on Chinese goods to push the country to do more to stem the flow of fentanyl into the US.

He has previously pledged to end China's most favored nation trade status and impose tariffs on Chinese imports exceeding 60%.

Analysts say China is seeking to build leverage to start talks with the new US administration on contentious aspects of bilateral relations, including trade and investment, science and technology.

Source: https://thanhnien.vn/trung-quoc-len-tieng-sau-khi-ong-trump-noi-covid-19-khien-moi-quan-he-xa-cach-185241217170717311.htm