China’s Xi: ‘Negative factors’ weighing on relationship with US

by Rebecca Savransky - 07/03/17 7:51 AM ET

Chinese President Xi Jinping reportedly told President Trump during a phone call that bilateral relations between the U.S. and China are being hurt by “negative factors.”

“Xi Jinping emphasized that, since my meeting with the president at Mar-a-Lago, China-U.S. relations have achieved important outcomes,” state broadcaster China Central Television reported, referring to Xi’s meeting with Trump in Florida in April, according to The Associated Press. “At the same time, bilateral relations have been affected by some negative factors. China has expressed its position to the U.S.”

Trump spoke on the phone Sunday night with the Chinese leader.

According to the White House readout of the call, Trump brought up the threat from North Korea and the two leaders “reaffirmed their commitment to a denuclearized Korean Peninsula.”

The call came after Trump last week said that his “patience is over” with North Korea and called for an aggressive international effort to curb the country’s nuclear program.

The Treasury Department last week sanctioned a Chinese bank and a handful of Chinese citizens accused of helping North Korea access international financial systems to help fund their nuclear and ballistic missile programs.

“We are in no way targeting China with these actions,” Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin told reporters. “This is about North Korea and how serious we are taking this.”

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