President Trump: 'I'm having a very difficult time with China'

According toWashington PostUS President Donald Trump on May 8 continued to criticize China for not implementing the bilateral trade agreement and said he was "heartbroken" about the fate of the document signed in January.

"I'm having a very difficult time with China," President Trump said in an interview with Fox, complaining that the economic disruption caused by the Covid-19 pandemic had affected the implementation of "a great trade deal".

President Trump and Chinese Vice Premier Liu He. Photo: AP.

When asked if the US-China trade deal was falling apart, Mr. Trump said "no decision has been made" on the issue.

President Trump said the White House would be more skeptical about Beijing's ability to honor its commitments under the trade deal. President Trump previously said imposing punitive tariffs on China over its handling of the Covid-19 pandemic was "an option."

Trump’s comments came hours after trade and finance officials from both countries held their first phone call since the pandemic began in January. In separate statements, trade representatives from both countries signaled that a bilateral deal was on track.

"Both sides agreed that positive progress has been made in establishing the government mechanisms necessary for successful implementation of the agreement. They (China) also agreed that despite the global health emergency, both countries fully expect to implement their obligations in a timely manner," the Office of the US Trade Representative said.

The US-China trade deal signed in January requires Beijing to strengthen intellectual property protections and market access for foreign companies. China must also increase the value of its imports of US goods by200 billion USD.

China has increased its food imports from the US since the deal was signed. However, the total value of China's imports from the US has not met Washington's expectations.