«There is only one boss in China - President Xi»: Trump comments on rumours of instability in Beijing
President of the United States Donald Trump responded to journalists' questions about reports of internal military purges in China by saying that he saw no threats to the stability of the government in the country.
Trump's statement
Answering a question about the possible consequences of personnel decisions in the Chinese military leadership, Donald Trump stressed that the head of state remains the key figure in China.
«As far as I'm concerned, there is one boss in China. It is President Xi. That's the president I'm dealing with,» Trump said.
When the journalist asked him about possible risks to stability, he replied in the negative.
«No. I think President Xi is the boss. I follow it very closely, and he is very respected in China. He's the boss,» Trump added.
Context.
The comments were made against the backdrop of Western media reports of personnel reshuffles and purges in China's military leadership, which sparked discussions about the internal situation in the country.
Trump made it clear that assesses China's political system as centralised, and links key decision-making directly to the Xi Jinping.
What it means
Trump's statement demonstrates Washington's pragmatic approach to relations with Beijing: regardless of internal processes in China, the United States is focused on direct dialogue with the country's current leader.
Analysts note that such words can also be a signal of the USA's readiness to maintain predictable contacts with China, The US has not publicly bet on internal instability in Beijing.
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