Yet Trump has hemmed and hawed on the question of Hong Kong. "We have to stand with Hong Kong, but I’m also standing with President Xi," Trump recently told the Fox & Friends programme. He doesn’t realise China’s decision on a trade deal doesn’t hinge on US policy towards Hong Kong, and specifically whether he signs the Hong Kong legislation Congress passed. Whether China agrees to a trade deal depends entirely on whether China thinks such a deal would be good for its economy. Trump can do the same by signing the Hong Kong Human Rights and Democracy Act.

Source: Otago Daily Times November 28, 2019 15:33 UTC