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Trump mentioned Biden in a call with Xi that was hosted on a highly secure server

2019-10-04T10:59:17.433Z


During a phone call with Xi on June 18, Trump raised the political perspectives of Biden, as well as those of Senator Elizabeth Warren, who by then had begun to rise in ...


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Washington (CNN) - When US President Donald Trump suggested, without persuading, that China should investigate Joe Biden and his son, he added another political resentment to what was already the most complicated and consistent relationship in the world.

The move surprised Chinese officials, who say they have little interest in being involved in a US political controversy. And it was Trump's last extraordinary effort to openly request political assistance from foreign governments.

  • Trump: Ukraine and China should investigate the Biden

Thursday's comments were not the first time Trump included Biden in his relationship with China, although he said he never pressured Xi to investigate the former vice president. Nor is it the first time he has tried to exchange favors with Xi, who this week celebrated the 70th anniversary of his communist state with a congratulatory note from Trump.

During a phone call with Xi on June 18, Trump raised the political perspectives of Biden, as well as those of Senator Elizabeth Warren, who by then had begun to rise in the polls, according to two people familiar with the discussion. In that call, Trump also told Xi that he would remain silent about Hong Kong's protests as business talks progressed.

The White House's record of that call was later stored in the highly secure electronic system used to host a phone call with the president of Ukraine and that helped provoke an informant complaint that led Democrats to open a trial investigation. politician about Trump.

When asked earlier this week about Trump's call with Xi, the White House did not deny that he had mentioned Biden.

“World leaders must be able to speak freely in their conversations with the president, that is a key component for effective diplomacy. And that's why those conversations are kept confidential, ”said White House press secretary Stephanie Grisham. "We are not going to start discussing the content of every conversation that President Trump has with world leaders, beyond saying that his conversations are always appropriate."

After this story was published, Warren reacted to the news of Trump's call with Xi, writing on Twitter: “Trump can say whatever he wants about me, but it is outrageous that any president sells the people of Hong Kong to the door closed. The public should see the transcript of Trump's call with Xi. And we need a leader who defends our values. ”

On Thursday, Trump told reporters at the White House that he would consider asking his counterpart in Beijing to investigate the Biden, which adds to a growing list of foreign leaders who have tried to recruit in their attempts to bring down a potential Democratic rival. .

"It is certainly something we can begin to think about," Trump said when asked if he would seek Xi's help to investigate Biden. "Because I am sure that President Xi does not like being under that kind of scrutiny."

In search of clarity

Trump's comments caused confusion and a battle of Chinese officials seeking clarity.

“Are you asking for the comments Trump has just made? I don't think I can tell you anything about it right now, ”said a Chinese diplomat when asked about Trump's comments Thursday.

"This is quite chaotic," said the diplomat. "We don't want to get in the middle of American politics."

A Trump ally outside the White House described receiving a message from Chinese government officials asking if Trump was serious when he suggested that China open an investigation into Biden. The answer: investigating corruption is an easy way to win Trump's will.

The Chinese did not immediately clarify whether they would initiate an investigation, or if they would make it public if they did.

Imminent business conversations

While commercial negotiators prepare for another round of talks and while Xi faces internal challenges such as the Hong Kong riots, the Biden affair throws another twist to tangled and high-risk diplomacy.

Trump's reluctance during the summer to speak out against an offensive against prodemocratic protesters in Hong Kong has frustrated officials of the National Security Council and the State Department, who had advocated for a stronger US stance.

While Trump finally tweeted a call to Xi to find a "human" resolution to the riots in Hong Kong, he did not issue a strong call to defend human rights in the former British colony. And as protests erupted again this week, while mass celebrations were held in Beijing for the 70th anniversary of the People's Republic of China, Trump congratulated Xi.

"Congratulations to President Xi and the Chinese people for the 70th anniversary of the People's Republic of China!" Wrote Trump, who adopted a drastically different tone from his Republican allies, who used words like "macabre", "authoritarian" and "Horrors" to mark the occasion.

Trump's statements on Thursday have caused consternation among some of his advisors, who privately yearn for the end of a trade war that is beginning to affect the US economy.

Just minutes before suggesting that China investigate Biden, Trump implied that he maintained control over China in trade negotiations, which will resume next week when the Chinese chief negotiator travels to Washington.

"I have many options about China," Trump said. "But if they don't do what we want, we have tremendous power."

Some of the president's business advisors say they believe that China is closely watching the Democratic primary elections, calculating whether a new deal with Trump should be agreed based on the prospects of several candidates.

Biden accusations

On several occasions, Trump has hinted that the Biden have received millions of dollars from China, implying that they capitalized on the political power and connections of the then vice president.

The accusations derive in part from an official trip that Joe Biden and his son Hunter Biden made to China in 2013, as a diplomatic mission to help ease tensions in the region. A company whose directory was Hunter Biden received a large investment of Chinese capital shortly after the trip.

According to The New York Times, Hunter has a 10% stake in BHR Partners, a private equity fund in which the Bank of China, owned by the Chinese government, has invested. Since May 2019, both The New York Times and The Washington Post reported that Hunter had not received money from the fund or in connection with his role as an unpaid advisory board member.

In July 2019, more than two years after his father left office, Hunter bought a shareholding in the BHR fund, valued at around US $ 430,000, according to The Washington Post.

There is no evidence that the former vice president received money from China, and last week one of Hunter Biden's lawyers told The Washington Post that he had not received any “reimbursement or compensation because of this investment or his position on the board of directors. "

Hunter Biden's lawyer also said he did not conduct any business related to the investment fund during the 2013 trip, in which he was accompanied by one of his daughters.

In a statement following Trump's comments on Thursday, Biden's campaign deputy director, Kate Bedingfield, described her comments as "a grotesque choice of lies about the truth and about the country."

Biden's successor, however, made it clear that he saw nothing wrong with Trump's behavior.

"The president made it very clear that he believes that our other nations of the world should also analyze it," said Vice President Mike Pence during an appearance in Arizona, where he was working to sell a new trade agreement in North America.

“The simple fact is that, you know, when you have the second highest position on earth, it carries unique responsibilities. Not only be above the incorrectness but above the appearance of incorrectness, ”said Pence.

In private, Trump has been telling the allies for the past week that he believes Hunter Biden's activities in China may be potentially more harmful than his business in Ukraine.

“That is not the best. The best was China, ”Trump said at a private event in New York last week, having criticized the unfounded claims involving the Biden and Ukraine.

Trump's insistence that Hunter Biden benefited from his father's political position is not without irony. Beijing granted the approval of fashion brands and accessories to Trump's daughter, Ivanka, last year, even after he closed his namesake brand in July 2018 due to low sales.

The president's attempts to build a relationship with Xi have advanced since he took office. He was entertained with a great state visit during his first year in office, drinking tea with Xi inside the Forbidden City. He later corresponded to host Xi in Mar-a-Lago.

But he is not the only actor in the saga of political trial with close ties to Xi. Biden was entrusted during the Obama administration to woo the then Vice President Xi during his apprenticeship for the most important position in China. They traveled together both in the United States and in China.

"I've spent as much time with Xi Jinping as anyone," Biden boasted in the election campaign, hoping to polish his foreign policy credentials.

Joe biden

Source: cnnespanol

All news articles on 2019-10-04

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