Trump hints at lifting sanctions if Russia proves 'helpful'.

(Baonghean.vn) - US President-elect Donald Trump announced in an interview with the Wall Street Journal that he will maintain sanctions against Russia “for at least some time.”

US President-elect Donald Trump waves to supporters as he appears in the lobby of Trump Tower in New York on January 13. Photo: Reuters.

He also affirmed that he would not commit to pursuing the "one China" policy until he saw progress in Beijing's monetary and trade practices.

In excerpts from a one-hour interview published in the WSJ on January 13, Trump stated: "If people are friendly and if Russia is actually helping us, why would we impose sanctions if someone is actually doing great things?"

The Wall Street Journal reported that Trump said he might lift sanctions imposed by the Obama administration in late December in response to alleged cyberattacks by Moscow – if Moscow could demonstrate a useful role in combating terrorists and achieve other goals of importance to Washington.

Trump told the newspaper that he was ready to meet with President Vladimir Putin after his inauguration on January 20th.

He affirmed: "I understand that they want to meet me, and that's perfectly fine with me."

When asked whether he supported the "one China" policy toward Taiwan, which has been the cornerstone of US-China relations for decades, Trump said: "Everything is under negotiation, including the one China policy."

Trump angered China by accepting a congratulatory call from the Taiwanese leader and questioning the "one China" policy.

The U.S. has acknowledged China's position that there is only one China and that Taiwan is a part of China.

Previously, Trump had said he would label China a currency manipulator after taking office. In a recent interview, he affirmed that he would not take such action on his first day in the White House. "I'll talk to them first," he said.

He added: "They are certainly manipulators. But I didn't expect them to do that."

However, Trump also bluntly expressed his dissatisfaction with China's monetary practices. According to the WSJ, he said: "Instead of saying 'we are devaluing our currency,' they say 'oh, our currency is depreciating.' It's not depreciating; they're doing it intentionally."

The newspaper also quoted Trump as saying: "Our companies can't compete with them right now because our money is strong and it's killing us."

The Chinese Ministry of Foreign Affairs has not yet issued any comment in response to these reports.

Thu Giang

(According to Reuters)