CHINA/TRADE DEALS/TRUMP AS PRESIDENT: “President Trump has shifted his stance on the unrest in Hong Kong in recent days to show greater solidarity with the pro-democracy protesters after coming to view the issue as a point of leverage in trade negotiations with China. For months, Trump administration officials described the Hong Kong uprising as an internal matter for China, aware of how delicate the issue is for President Xi Jinping and other Communist Party officials. With tensions already high between the two nations and trade talks stalled, the administration chose to tread lightly. But as the protests have dragged on, advisers to Mr. Trump have succeeded in making the case that wading into the issue could prove necessary — and advantageous — to the United States as it tries to push Beijing to accede to its trade terms. After previously saying Hong Kong was a ‘very tough situation’ that was up to Chinese leaders to handle, Mr. Trump has more recently called on those leaders to offer a ‘humane’ response and urged Mr. Xi to engage in dialogue with the protesters.”
–Alan Rappeport and Edward Wong, “To Gain Leverage in China Trade Talks, Trump Shows Solidarity With Hong Kong,” The New York Times online, August 22, 2019