Trump promised Chinese President Xi Jinping last summer that he would remain silent on anti-democratic measures in the territory while they negotiated a trade deal, despite signing a new sanctions law aimed at potentially the Chinese and Hong Kong authorities. In November, Trump said he stood by the Democratic protesters in Hong Kong - but "I'm also with President Xi, he's a friend of mine."
Things are different now that Trump has identified China as the scapegoat for a pandemic that has killed nearly 100,000 Americans. "Everything comes from above. They could have easily stopped the plague, but they did not do it," he tweeted last week. Tackling anti-Chinese sentiment, his administration called the controversial new security law "disastrous", and as Hong Kongers hit the streets in protest Trump could be tiptoeing towards a breakup with Xi .
Two questions hover as fears of a new cold war grow: first, how long is Trump's buddy with Xi compatible with his total assault on China? Second, does the President still believe that safeguarding the trade agreement is essential to his hopes for re-election? The answers will shape the way the United States moves to Hong Kong, amid calls to Congress for firm action. A final penalty remains in Trump's arsenal: the revocation of Hong Kong's special trade status to the United States, which could empty its role as an international financial hub.
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