US President Donald Trump has warned that a potentially violent crackdown on protests in Hong Kong could harm a trade deal between the United States and China.
Trump called on Chinese President Xi Jinping to "sit down" with the leaders of the 11-week-long protest, but admitted that was not the style of the leaders in Beijing.
"I would like to see the situation in Hong Kong resolved in a very humanitarian way," Trump said, adding: "That would be very good for reaching a trade agreement."
On the other hand, as he pointed out, violence would cause pressure on the chances of reaching an agreement with China, reports Hina
"I think it would be much more difficult for me to sign an agreement if he does anything violent in Hong Kong," Trump said, stating that concluding an agreement after the possible crackdown of protests would be unpopular with the American public.
Demonstrators occupied the streets and busy places in Hong Kong since the beginning of June, and mass protests began against the proposed law that opened the possibility of continuing criminal prosecution in China by extradition.
Trump has previously expressed concern over the Chinese military buildup near the border with Hong Kong, a former British colony that returned to Chinese rule in 1997 but has a separate legal system under the "one country, two systems" principle.
So far, Trump has not clearly expressed his support for the protesters, but he has expressed his support for "freedom" and "democracy."
The US and China entered into a trade war last year, imposing tariffs on each other.
The US is expected to announce further rules on doing business with the Chinese company Huawei on Monday.
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