WASHINGTON (REUTERS) – US President Donald Trump, in a Fox News interview airing on Sunday (Aug 23), raised the possibility of decoupling the United States economy from China, a major purchaser of US goods.

In a video excerpt, Mr Trump initially told interviewer Steve Hilton that “we don’t have to” do business with China, and then later said about decoupling.

“Well it’s something that if they don’t treat us right I would certainly, I would certainly do that,” Mr Trump said.

The president entered into a high-stakes trade war with China before reaching a partial phase one trade deal in January. Mr Trump has since shut the door on phase two negotiations, saying he was unhappy with Beijing’s handling of the pandemic.

In June, US Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin said a decoupling of the US and Chinese economies will result if US companies are not allowed to compete on a fair and level basis in China’s economy.

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