Former US President Donald Trump has dismissed concerns that closer relations between China, Russia, and their allies pose a strategic challenge to the United States.
Speaking to reporters in the Oval Office, Trump said he maintains “a good relationship” with Chinese President Xi Jinping, adding that “China needs us more than we need them.”
The remarks come ahead of China’s “Victory Day” parade in Beijing on Wednesday, which is expected to showcase the country’s military strength. Xi will be joined by North Korea’s Kim Jong Un and Russia’s Vladimir Putin, a move some observers interpret as a signal to Western nations that have distanced themselves from these countries.
China has increasingly sought to position itself as a counterbalance to the US, particularly following Trump-era tariffs that disrupted global economic and political dynamics. Trump has defended the tariffs as necessary to protect American interests and industries, suggesting any diplomatic fallout is acceptable.
Asked by the BBC whether Beijing and its allies were forming an international coalition to oppose the US, Trump said: “No. Not at all. China needs us. I have a very good relationship with President Xi, as you know. But China needs us much more than we need them. I don’t see that at all.”
In a separate radio interview on Tuesday, Trump expressed little concern over the growing China-Russia axis, asserting that the US possesses “the most powerful military forces in the world” and that neither country would dare use them against America. “Believe me, that would be the worst thing they could ever do,” he said.
Trump also voiced disappointment in Putin after their recent meeting in Alaska failed to produce a peace deal for Ukraine. “I’m very disappointed in President Putin, I can say that,” he said, adding that the US “will be doing something to help people live” in Ukraine, though he did not provide further details.
Meanwhile, China has avoided criticizing Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine and has faced Western accusations of indirectly aiding the war effort through the supply of dual-use materials and purchases of Russian oil—a claim Beijing denies.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky reported a new Russian troop buildup along certain frontline sectors. “[Putin] refuses to be forced into peace,” Zelensky said in his nightly video address.
Source: BBC
