WASHINGTON (AP) — President Donald Trump claims he’s the reason China hasn’t taken steps to crush pro-democracy protests in Hong Kong.
Trump says he asked his “friend” Chinese President Xi Jinping (shee jihn-peeng) not to send in the military.
Trump told “Fox & Friends” in a telephone interview Friday that he told Xi that efforts to quash the protests would complicate negotiations for a U.S.-China trade deal.
China has warned it will retaliate against the U.S. if Trump signs a bill supporting the Hong Kong protests.
Trump didn’t say whether he’d veto the bill but said “we have to stand with Hong Kong, but I’m also standing with President Xi.”
Trump says if it weren’t for him “thousands of people would have been killed in Hong Kong right now and you wouldn’t have any riots.”