'US-China Trade Talks Are Over' Turns Out to Be a False Alarm... Trump Retracts Navarro's Remarks (Summary)

White House Advisor Mentions "End of US-China Trade Deal" in Broadcast Interview
Stocks and Futures Decline, Trump Steps In to Deny Remarks

[Asia Economy Reporter Naju-seok] A White House official in the United States said that the "US-China trade negotiations are over," but then President Donald Trump stepped in to backtrack. Following news of deteriorating US-China relations, US futures experienced significant fluctuations, followed by a recovery.

[Image source=Reuters Yonhap News]

On the 22nd (local time), President Trump tweeted, "The trade deal with China is totally intact," adding, "Hopefully, China will continue to abide by the terms of the trade agreement." This statement by President Trump was related to an interview given by Peter Navarro, Director of Trade and Manufacturing Policy at the White House, to Fox News.

Navarro stated that the trade negotiations were over in connection with China's concealment of the outbreak of the novel coronavirus disease (COVID-19). He said, "China came to the US on January 15 this year to sign the Phase One trade agreement, but by that time, it had already been two months since China knew about the COVID-19 outbreak," adding, "At that point, China had already sent thousands of people to the US to spread the virus. We only became aware of the pandemic after the planes carrying them had departed."

After these remarks became known, stock markets in the US and elsewhere showed a downward trend due to concerns over worsening US-China relations.

Navarro also clarified his remarks. He said, "(My comments) have nothing to do with the US-China Phase One trade agreement," and "It will continue to be implemented." However, he added, "There is a lack of trust with the Chinese Communist Party."

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.