US Pres. Trump: Administration to take 'good look' at Hong Kong rights bill

Following his comments on the US-China trade deal being “potentially very close”, the US President Trump hit the wires again late Friday, this time making some comments on the Hong Kong Human Rights bill passed by the Congress earlier this week, as cited by Reuters.

Trump said: “It’s being sent over (to the White House). We’re going to take a very good look at it,” when asked if he was going to sign the legislation.

Additional Quotes:

“If it weren’t for me Hong Kong would have been obliterated in 14 minutes.” 

“He’s got a million soldiers standing outside of Hong Kong that aren’t going in only because I ask him please don’t do it, you’ll be making a big mistake, it’s going to have a tremendous negative impact on the trade deal and he wants to make a trade deal,” Trump said of what he told his Chinese counterpart Xi Jinping.

“Look we have to stand with Hong Kong, but I’m also standing with President Xi. He’s a friend of mine. He’s an incredible guy. We have to stand.”

“But I’d like to see them work it out. Okay? We have to see them work it out. But I stand with Hong Kong, I stand with freedom, I stand with all of the things that we want to do.”

“But we also are in the process of making the largest trade deal in history and if we could do that that would be great ... If it weren’t for me thousands of people would have been killed in Hong Kong right now and you wouldn’t have any riots you’d have a police state.”

• US Pres. Trump: We have a deal with China, “potentially very close”

Wall Street indices settled modestly higher on Friday after Trump and Chinese President Xi’s upbeat comments on trade lifted the market mood. Although, with the latest comments on the Hong Kong bill, markets could see a cautious start to a fresh week in Monday’s Asia trading.

• China’s Pres. Xi: Wants to work out phase one trade deal with US, but not afraid of a trade war