President Trump says meeting with Xi would be ‘very difficult’

By Lobsang Tenchoe

DHARAMSALA, March 31: US President Donald Trump, who has launched a series of fiery attacks on China during his campaign for the presidency, has said his upcoming meeting with Chinese President Xi Jinping would be ‘very difficult’, with jobs and trade likely to dominate the duo’s first meeting.

“The meeting next week with China will be a very difficult one in that we can no longer have massive trade deficits… and job losses. American companies must be prepared to look at other alternatives,” President Trump twitted.

The US President will host his Chinese counterpart over April 6-7 at his Mar-a-Lago retreat in Florida. Trump and the first lady will also host the Chinese President and his wife for a dinner on April 6, the White House disclosed.

At the highly anticipated meeting, the leaders of the global economic powerhouses are expected to cover differences over North Korea and China’s strategic ambitions in the South China Sea, according to reports.

China has so far adopted a sit on the fence sort of approach to Trump’s comments. In tune with that, Chinese Foreign Ministry Spokesman Lu Kang has said, “Both sides look forward to a successful meeting so that a correct direction can be set for the growth of bilateral relations,” the report added.

The US President on his part, notwithstanding the bold and hard worded comments he made against the China through his campaign, has done little since assuming

the US Presidential office.