China accuses Trump of putting GOP, self ahead of US interests

China accused President Trump on Friday of putting his self interests and those of the Republican Party above the interests of the U.S. following his threats to remove American businesses from the Asian country. 

Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Zhao Lijian said at his daily press conference in Beijing on Friday that Trump’s actions “violate the will of the business community” and would ultimately backfire. 

“I believe this is their act which tries to put their self-interests and the interests of their parties above the interests of the United States,” Zhao said through a translator. “Such political manipulation is unfeasible.” 

Zhao claimed that Trump’s rhetoric is meant to “coerce the normal investment” of companies and “runs counter to market economy law, which will finally harm themselves.”  

Some US politicians are putting the interests of themselves&parties above the interests of US when suggesting moving businesses back to US. The political manipulation is unfeasible because it disrupts normal investments&operations & denies existing cooperation between countries. pic.twitter.com/XegPz2bl3B

— Spokesperson发言人办公室 (@MFA_China) August 28, 2020

The Chinese Foreign Ministry’s remarks are the latest back-and-forth between two countries; the relationship has become strained since the beginning of the year. 

While accepting his party’s nomination Thursday night, the president pledged to bring American supply chains back to the U.S. 

“We will not rely on them one bit. We are taking our business out of China. We are bringing it home. We want our business to come home,” Trump said Thursday.  

In July, Trump signed a bill sanctioning Chinese businesses for Beijing’s actions in Hong Kong, threatened to ban Chinese-owned video app TikTok from operating in the U.S. and shut down the Chinese Consulate in Houston.  

China retaliated by ordering the U.S. to shut down its consulate in Chengdu. 

U.S. intelligence officials also concluded earlier this month that China would prefer Trump not win reelection because it views him as “unpredictable.” 

“Although China will continue to weigh the risks and benefits of aggressive action, its public rhetoric over the past few months has grown increasingly critical of the current Administration’s COVID-19 response, closure of China’s Houston Consulate, and actions on other issues,” said William Evanina, the director of the National Counterintelligence and Security Center. “Beijing recognizes that all of these efforts might affect the presidential race.”