JUSTIN.
BLOOMBERG.
>> THANKS, MR. PRESIDENT.
I WANTED TO ASK ABOUT YOUR
RELATIONSHIP WITH CHINA NOW THAT
YOU’VE BEEN IN OFFICE A COUPLE
MONTHS.
OBVIOUSLY THE MEETING IN ALASKA,
A LITTLE THEATRICAL, AND THERE’S
A CONTINUED HUMAN RIGHTS ABUSES.
SO TODAY I WONDER, ARE YOU MORE
LIKELY THAN YOU WERE WHEN YOU
CAME INTO OFFICE TO MAINTAIN
TARIFFS ON CHINA?
ARE YOU CONSIDERING BANNING
IMPORTS, OF FORCED LABOR
PRODUCTS?
AND WOULD YOU CONSIDER CUTTING
OFF U.S. INVESTMENT OR CHINESE
ACCESS TO INTERNATIONAL PAYMENT SYSTEMS?
>> LOOK, THEY’RE EACH
SPECIFICALLY LEGITIMATE
QUESTIONS, BUT THE ONLY, THEY
ONLY TOUCH A SMIDGEN OF WHAT THE
RELATIONSHIP WITH CHINA REALLY IS ABOUT.
IS ABOUT.
I’VE KNOWN XI JING PINGPING FOR
TIME.
SPENT MORE TIME ALLEGEDLY THAN
ANY OTHER WORLD LEADER HAD,
BECAUSE PRESIDENT OBAMA AND THE
CHINESE PRESIDENT WHO DECIDED WE
SHOULD GET TO KNOW ONE ANOTHER,
SINCE IT WAS INAPPROPRIATE FOR
THE PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED
STATES TO SPEND TIME WITH THE
VICE PRESIDENT OF ANOTHER
COUNTRY.
BUT IT WAS OBVIOUS HE WAS GOING
TO BECOME THE NEW LEADER OF
CHINA.
SO I SPENT HOURS UPON HOURS WITH
HIM ALONE WITH AN INTERPRETER.
MY SBERNTINTERPRETER AND HIS GOI
INTO GREAT DETAIL.
VERY, VERY STRAIGHTFORWARD.
DOESN’T HAVE A DEMOCRATIC WITH A
SMALL D BONE IN HIS BODY, BUT
HE’S A SMART, SMART GUY.
HE’S ONE OF THE GUYS LIKE PUTIN
WHO THINKS THAT AUTOCRACY IS THE
WAY TO THE FUTURE DEMOCRACY
CAN’T FUNCTION AND -- AND AN
EVER COMPLEX WORLD.
SO WHEN I WAS ELECTED AND HE
CALLED TO CONGRATULATE ME, I
THINK TO THE SURPRISE OF THE
CHINA EXPERTS WHO WERE HIS
PEOPLE ON THE CALL AS WELL AS
MINE LISTENING, WE HAD A
TWO-HOUR CONVERSATION.
FOR TWO HOURS.
AND WE MADE SEVERAL THINGS CLEAR
TO ONE ANOTHER.
I MADE IT CLEAR TO HIM AGAIN
WHAT I’D TOLD HIM IRANN-PERSON O
SEVERAL OCCASIONS THAT WE’RE NOT
LOOKING FOR CONFRONTATION,
ALTHOUGH WITH KNOW THERE WILL BE
STEEP, STEEP COMPETITION.
TWO, THAT, WE’LL HAVE STRONG
COMPETITION BUT INSIST THAT
CHINA PLAY BY THE INTERNATIONAL
RULES.
FAIR COMPETITION.
FAIR PRACTICES.
FAIR TRADE.
THIRDLY, IN ORDER TO COMPETE
EFFECTIVELY, I INDICATED THAT
WE’RE GOING TO DEAL WITH CHINA
EFFECTIVELY.
AND WE’RE GOING TO NEED THREE
THINGS TO DO THAT.
OUR PEOPLE.
FIRST, WE’RE GOING TO INVEST IN
AMERICAN WORKERS AND AMERICAN
SCIENCE.
I SAID THAT ALL THROUGH THE
CAMPAIGN.
I SAY IT AGAIN.
AND I’M SETTING UP MY
ADMINISTRATION TO BE ABLE TO DO
THAT.
BACK IN THE ’60s WE USED TO
INVEST A LITTLE OVER 2% OF OUR
ENTIRE GDP IN PURE RESEARCH AND
INVESTMENT IN SCIENCE.
TODAY IT’S 0.7%.
I’M GOING TO CHANGE THAT.
WE’RE GOING TO CHANGE THAT.
THE FUTURE LIES IN WHO CAN IN
FACT OWN THE FUTURE AS RELATES
TO TECHNOLOGY, QUANTUM
COMPUTING, A WHOLE RANGE OF
THINGS, INCLUDING THE MEDICAL
FIELDS.
AND SO WHAT I’M GOING TO DO IS
MAKE SURE WE INVEST CLOSER TO
2%.
ONE OF THE REASONS WHY I’VE SET
UP THE, THE PAB.
PRESIDENT’S BOARD WITH SCIENCE
AGAIN, WE’RE GOING TO INVEST IN
MEDICAL RESEARCH, CANCER,
ALZHEIMER’S, DIABETES, THE
THINGS -- INDUSTRIES OF THE
FUTURE.
ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE, QUANTUM
COMPUTING, BIOTECH AND MAKE
REINVESTMENTS.
CHINA IS OUT BUYING US BY THEIR
PLAN IS TO OWN THAT FUTURE.
SECOND THING, RE-ESTABLISH OUR
ALLIANCES, AND I’VE BEEN VERY
CLEAR WITH THEM.
IT’S NOT ANTI-CHINESE.
I THINK WE’VE TALKED ABOUT IT.
I WANT TO MAKE SURE THAT, FOR
EXAMPLE, LATER TODAY AFTER THIS,
AS A MATTER OF FACT, SHORTLY
AFTER THIS, WHICH IS FINE.
WE’VE BEEN GOING CLOSE TO AN
HOUR.
I’M HAPPY -- GO LONGER, BUT ONE
OF THE THINGS THAT I’M GOING TO
BE DOING, I’M GOING TO BE
SPEAKING WITH 27 HEADS OF STATE
IN EUROPE.
AND VERY SHORTLY, WITHIN THE
NEXT HOUR.
I DON’T KNOW THE EXACT TIME.
AND EARLIER THIS MONTH,
APPARENTLY IT GOT THE CHINESE
ATTENTION.
THAT’S NOT WHY I DID IT.
I MET WITH OUR ALLIES, AND HOW
WE’RE GOING TO HOLD CHINA
ACCOUNTABLE IN THE REGION.
AUSTRALIA, INDIA, JAPAN, AND THE
JITS
UNITED STATES.
THE SO-CALLED QUAD.
BECAUSE WE HAVE TO HAVE
DEMOCRACIES WORKING TOGETHER.
BEFORE TOO LONG I’M GOING TO
HAVE, I’M GOING TO INVITE AN
ALLIANCE OF DEMOCRACIES TO COME
HERE TO DISCUSS THE FUTURE.
AND SO I’M GOING TO MAKE IT
CLEAR THAT IN ORDER TO DEAL WITH
THESE THINGS, WE ARE GOING TO
HOLD CHINA ACCOUNTABLE TO FOLLOW
THE RULES.
FOLLOW THE RULES.
WHETHER RELATEDS TO THE SOUTH
CHINA SEA OR THE NORTH CHINA SEA
OR THE AGREEMENT MADE ON TAIWAN
OR A WHOLE RANGE OF OTHER
THINGS.
AND THE THIRD THING, AND THE
THING THAT I, I ADMIRE ABOUT
DEALING WITH XI IS HE
UNDERSTANDS.
HE MAKE NOS PRETEXT ABOUT
UNDERSTANDING WHAT I’M SAYING
ANYMORE THAN I DO HIM.
I POINTED OUT NO LEADER CAN BE
SUSTAINED IN HIS OR HER POSITION
UNLESS HE REPRESENT THE VALUES
OF THE COUNTRY, AND I SAID, MR.
PRESIDENT, AS I’VE TOLD YOU
BEFORE, AMERICANS VALUE THE
NOTION OF FREEDOM.
AMERICA VALUES HUMAN RIGHTS.
WE DON’T ALWAYS LIVE UP TO OUR
EXPECTATIONS BUT IT’S A VALUE
SYSTEM.
WE ARE FOUNDED ON THAT
PRINCIPLE.
AND AS LONG AS YOU AND YOUR
COUNTRY CONTINUES TO SO
BLATANTLY VIOLATE HUMAN RIGHTS,
WE ARE GOING TO CONTINUE IN AN
UNRELENTING WAY TO CALL IT TO
THE ATTENTION OF THE WORLD AND
MAKE IT CLEAR, MAKE IT CLEAR
WHAT’S HAPPENING.
AND HE UNDERSTOOD THAT.
I MADE IT CLEAR THAT NO AMERICAN
PRESIDENT, AT LEAST ONE DID, BUT
NO AMERICAN PRESIDENT EVER
BACKED DOWN FROM SPEAKING OUT OF
WHAT’S HAPPENED TO THE UIGHURS,
WHAT’S HAPPENING IN HONG KONG.
WHAT’S HAPPENING IN, IN COUNTRY.
THAT’S WHO WE ARE.
THE MOMENT A PRESIDENT WALKS
AWAY FROM THAT, AS THE LAST ONE
DID, IS THE MOMENT WE BEGIN TO
LOSE OUR LEGITIMACY AROUND THE
WORLD.
THAT’S WHO WE ARE.
SO I SEE STIFF COMPETITION WITH
CHINA.
CHINA HAS AN OVERALL GOAL, AND I
DON’T CRITICIZE HIM FOR THE
GOAL, BUT THEY HAVE AN OVERALL
GOAL TO BECOME THE LEADING
COUNTRY IN THE WORLD.
THE WEALTHIEST COUNTRY IN THE
WORLD AND THE MOST POWERFUL
COUNTRY IN THE WORLD.
THAT’S NOT GOING TO HAPPEN ON MY