Donald Trump says he would be willing to ‘decouple’ from China in his second term

President Donald Trump said he was open to the possibility of ‘decoupling’ with China in his second term if ‘they don’t treat us right’ as he doubled down on his attacks that if rival Joe Biden wins the election then Beijing would ‘own our country.’  

‘We were doing better than we’ve ever done with China, and I was all set to rock and roll and then we got hit with this damn situation,’ the president said in an interview with Fox News Channel’s ‘The Next Revolution’ that aired Sunday night.

He said he was open to the possibility of ‘decoupling’ from China in his second term. 

‘Well it’s something that if they don’t treat us right I would certainly, I would certainly do that,’ he said.

Trump’s relationship with China and its President Xi Jinping has had its ups and downs as the two nations struggle to complete a trade deal.

After two years of arguing and a tit-for-tat in raising hundreds of billions of dollars in tariffs on each other’s goods, the two nations are still stuck in phase one of negotiations. 

The coronavirus pandemic has soured relations even further. 

‘I don’t want to set the world on fire right now,’ Trump said in the interview as he continued to bash Beijing. 

President Trump also complained about U.S. intelligence reports that indicated China is working to influence the November election in Biden’s favor. The agencies also said Russia was working in Trump’s favor.

‘I’m the only one who ever took on China. And you saw the intelligence reports where they say China is working hard to get Joe Biden elected. If he gets elected, China will own our country,’ the president charged.  

Trump also repeated his charge that Hunter Biden made billions off work he did with China when his father was vice president.

‘China owns Joe Biden. His son got a billion and a half dollars. His son with no experience, no brainpower, no anything, never did it, not only Ukraine, he got hundreds of thousands of dollars of money from Ukraine and the upfront payment and then with China he walks up with a billion and half dollars in fees. It’s ridiculous,’ Trump said.

Hunter Biden sat on the board of BHR, a Chinese equity firm, that was trying to raise a $1.5 billion financial stake – a number the president has latched on to to accuse Hunter Biden of personal financial gain.

Hunter Biden told ABC News in an interview last year that he didn’t make any money from that work.

‘No. Definitely not 1.5 billion,’ he said.

But he would not say how much money he has made.

‘Look, I’m a private citizen,’ he said. ‘One thing that I don’t have to do is sit here and open my kimono as it relates to how much money I make or make or did or didn’t. But it’s all been reported.’  

Trump, meanwhile, continued his tirade against China. 

‘They own Joe Biden. They own him and they want me to it lose so badly,’ he said.

The president’s interview aired the day before the Republican National Convention – where he will be formally nominated as the GOP presidential nominee – begins.

Polls show Biden leading in their contest, by 7.6 per cent in the RealClearPolitics average.