Former US President Donald Trump, in a recent interview, claimed that current President Joe Biden might be financially compromised due to alleged monetary dealings with China. He cited a speculated figure of $32 million channeled into the accounts associated with the Biden family.
Trump suggested that this might be the reason behind what he perceives as Biden’s soft stance on China. He even referred to Biden as a “Manchurian candidate”, implying that he might be acting under the influence or interests of a foreign power.
Amid these comments, President Biden took firm action against China, signing an executive order limiting US investments in key Chinese sectors such as computer chips, quantum information technologies, and artificial intelligence. This order is significant, given the importance of these sectors in the current global economy and their strategic implications.
“You look at the University of Pennsylvania, you take a look at what’s going on over there, where China pays millions and millions of dollars at Biden’s center. I guess they’re paying him a million dollars a year, or I think they have it at 999,000 dollars a year. That way you don’t have to maybe reproach because it’s under a million,” Trump claimed.
China’s response to this order was swift. Liu Pengyu, the spokesperson for the Chinese embassy, voiced China’s disappointment in the move. Pengyu stressed the historically mutual benefits derived from US-China trade and seemed to encourage a more cooperative and constructive approach moving forward.
It’s worth noting that the claims made by Trump are part of a larger narrative of debates and controversies surrounding international financial dealings by key US political figures. How these narratives evolve and their impact on US-China relations remains to be seen.