China, Trump talk up prospects for U.S.-China collaboration
The HinduChina's top diplomat said on Tuesday he hoped the incoming Trump administration would "make the right choice" and work with Beijing, hours after Donald Trump told reporters the COVID-19 pandemic had strained his relationship with "friend" Xi Jinping. "We hope the new U.S. administration will make the right choice and work with China in a mutually-beneficial manner to remove disruptions and overcome obstacles," Foreign Minister Wang Yi told a forum in Beijing, according to a statement from his ministry. When Joe Biden was sworn in as U.S. president in January 2021, China said it wanted to cooperate with the new administration and imposed sanctions on former Secretary of State Mike Pompeo and 27 other top officials previously under Trump. That said, Trump has nominated China hard-liners to key diplomatic and economic roles in his administration, signalling his policy towards the U.S.' main strategic rival could be even more confrontational than during his first term.