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Trump aides have been careful speaking about Hong Kong because of a 6/18 phone call between Trump and Xi when made an ad hoc commitment to Xi that he would not condemn the Chinese government over a crackdown in Hong Kong - w/ @nahaltoosi @morningmoneyben politico.com/story/2019/08/…
A version of this conversation was reported by the @FT here - google.com/amp/s/amp.ft.c…. Their reporting says Trump made the concession in order to revive trade talks. *OURS INDICATES HE MADE IT WITHOUT EXPLICIT LINKAGE TO TRADE*
Further complicating things: After making commitment to Xi, Trump went on to make some mildly supportive remarks about the protesters last month: “What they’re looking for is democracy, and I think most people want democracy. Unfortunately, some governments don’t want democracy.”
This has left admin officials uncertain what, exactly to say on the issue — and treading lightly.
