US-China relationship must improve: Trump

After a campaign that repeatedly criticised China, President-elect Donald Trump has come out to say the US must work to improve its relationship with China.

President-elect Donald Trump

President-elect Donald Trump says the US needs to improve its relationship with China. (AAP) Source: AP

President-elect Donald Trump says the US needs to improve its relationship with China, one he criticised for its economic policies and failure to rein in North Korea.

"China is not a market economy," Trump told a rally in Iowa.

"They haven't played by the rules, and I know it's time that they're going to start."

Trump criticised China repeatedly during his presidential campaign and drew a diplomatic protest from Beijing last week after speaking by phone with President Tsai Ing-wen of Taiwan, which China considers a wayward province.

It was the first such top-level contact with Taiwan by a US president-elect or president since President Jimmy Carter adopted a one-China policy in 1979, recognising only the Beijing government.

Trump kept up his criticism of Beijing during the rally, which was part of a thank you tour to express gratitude to states that helped him win an upset victory over Democratic presidential nominee Hillary Clinton last month.

"You have the massive theft of intellectual property, putting unfair taxes on our companies, not helping with the menace of North Korea like they should, and the at-will and massive devaluation of their currency and product dumping," Trump said of China.

"Other than that, they've been wonderful, right?"

Trump repeated his campaign message that he planned to prioritise the US and American workers over global interests.

He said his administration, which takes office in January, would focus on two rules: "Buy American and hire American" and he would keep pressuring companies not to move jobs overseas.


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Published 9 December 2016 10:22pm
Source: AAP


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