The US president seems to be unrelenting in holding China accountable for exporting the virus to the world. Trump began his address by starting with “I am here to talk about our relations with China and measures to protect American security”. Here are some excerpts from Trump’s address.
The Chinese Misconduct
Donald Trump accused China of misconduct, and he blamed his predecessors for wasting billions of dollars in dealing with China, as he attacked China of downsizing American jobs, industries, and stealing their internal properties. China gets the benefits of being a developing country while the United States is not. Trump doesn’t solely blame the Chinese leadership for this, he took his predecessors to the corner and their policies for China’s theft. Trump called out China’s unlawful activity of claiming territory in the Pacific Ocean, and their act of threatening the freedom of navigation. Trump took a dig at China for its move on affecting the autonomy of Hong kong.
The Wuhan Virus
Trump said the plain facts of China’s broken promises and lies can’t be overlooked. The world is now suffering as a result of the maleficence of the Chinese government. The virus from Wuhan was covered up by China resulting in a global pandemic as the disease is spread across the world. The Chinese coverup didn’t stop in China, as they pressurized the WHO to mislead the world. The virus was first discovered by the Chinese authorities. Trump referred to China’s control over the WHO despite paying only 40M USD a year compared to the US paying 450M USD/Year.
Severing ties with WHO
As a result of their refusal to act, Trump served ties with WHO. Trump said he would redirect the funds to deserving global public health needs. Trump is right, China has to answer the world in a global forum. It can’t get away by influencing the world health organization to dance to its tunes.
International export of the Virus
Trump scathed his attack by referring to the virus being exported to different parts of the world, but not to the neighbourhood in Wuhan. He said, “It went nowhere else, it didn’t go to Beijing, it went to the United States, and Europe”. Death and destruction due to the virus are incalculable. The world needs answers not only the United States.
Espionage to steal Industry Secrets
Trump Called out China for espionage to steal America’s industrial secrets. He added, “There are Many”. He announced steps to protect investors from Chinese financial practices. The President said the US would also take actions which includes barring “Certain foreign nationals from China, who are identified as potential security risks”.
China’s unilateral control over Hong Kong
The US President slammed China for its move to unilaterally impose control over Hong kong security. He called it “A plain violation of treaty obligations with the United Kingdom”. Trump criticized China for terming it a national security issue. He said, “Hong Kong was secured and prosperous as free security”. Hong Kong is no longer sufficiently autonomous to warrant the special treatment, trump also called for the process of eliminating policy exemptions that give Hong Kong special treatment.
Trump’s Call to expand G7 to G10 or G11
While on his way back from Florida where he witnessed the launch of the first manned mission by Elon Musk’s Space X, Trump told the reporters in Air Force One that, he is postponing the G7 Summit as he feels it’s a very outdated group of countries. He said he wants to expand the G7 advanced economies to G10 or G11 that would pave way for India, South Korea, Australia and Russia. Trump also said that he had discussed the initiative of bringing more countries together, he is sceptical of the time frame of the deal being normalized.
In a nutshell, Trump’s call to unite countries is to corner China by all means. Trump has an election coming up in November, and his tough stand in posturing himself as a messiah is to tell his voters that the US is leading from the front. As far as India is concerned, PM Modi led government has ably made it clear that any dispute with our neighbours will be settled bilaterally. It’s sacrosanct that India needs allies to fight China economically, and diplomatically, if things were to escalate.
About the Author
Vijay Parthasarathy
On the Right Side of the political spectrum. A Software Developer by profession. Biker, pet lover, and a keen sports enthusiast. In my spare time, I write on current affairs and politics. Follow him on Twitter @apv_007
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