President Donald Trump on Thursday praised Chinese President Xi Jinping as "a highly respected and powerful representative of his people," while slamming previous White House administrations for the nation's huge trade deficit with Beijing.
Trump took to Twitter:
Trump's laudatory posts on his Chinese counterpart came shortly before he left Beijing after a two-day visit for Vietnam and a possible meeting with Russian President Vladimir Putin at the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation Summit.
President Trump and President Xi announced $250 billion in investment deals Thursday, many of which came in the form of tentative agreements.
Trump also said earlier in his visit he and Xi had "very good chemistry," but he did attack Beijing's predatory trade practices before he ripped previous American administrations.
The trade relationship "between China and the U.S. has not been a very fair one, as we all know America has a huge annual trade deficit with China, a number beyond anything that anyone would understand," Trump said.
"Both the United States and China will have a more prosperous future if we can achieve a more level playing field."
Regarding previous U.S. leaders, the president said: "After all, who can blame a country for being able to take advantage of another country for the benefit of its citizens.
"I give China great credit, but in actuality I do blame past administrations for allowing this out-of-control trade deficit to take place," he said. "It is just not sustainable."
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