Trump says Xi can ‘quickly and humanely solve’ HK standoff

(FILES) In this file photo taken on June 29, 2019 China’s President Xi Jinping (R) shakes hands with US President Donald Trump before a bilateral meeting on the sidelines of the G20 Summit in Osaka. – The US public’s opinion of China has plummeted amid a surge in strategic and trade tensions in recent years, the Pew Research Center reported on August 13, 2019. The survey group said 60 percent of Americans have an unfavorable view of China, the most in the 14 years since the survey began and up from 47 percent a year ago. (Photo by Brendan Smialowski / AFP)

BERKELEY HEIGHTS, United States (AFP) — US President Donald Trump on Wednesday said Xi Jinping can “humanely” resolve the violent standoff with protesters in Hong Kong and appeared to suggest meeting the Chinese leader.

“I have ZERO doubt that if President Xi wants to quickly and humanely solve the Hong Kong problem, he can do it,” Trump tweeted from vacation at his golf course in Bedminster, New Jersey.

“Personal meeting?” he added in what appeared to be an idea for offering his own help to Xi directly.

Protesters have staged 10 weeks of relentless protests to demand greater freedoms in Hong Kong, including rallies that paralyzed the semi-autonomous city’s airport, one of the world’s busiest travel hubs.

The United States has said it is “deeply concerned” over Chinese security force movements on the border with Hong Kong and urged Beijing to honor the territory’s autonomy.

Under a 1997 deal that saw Hong Kong return to China from British colonial rule, the city is meant to have far greater liberties than those allowed on the mainland.

© Agence France-Presse