Trump says the phase 2 trade deal is not a priority as the U.S.-China relationship has become very weak

President Donald Trump stated on Friday that he believes that next stage of the U.S. trade deal with
China is not possible adding that the relationship between the two nations has been “severely
damaged” due to the current pandemic.
“They could have stopped the plague. They could have stopped it. They didn’t stop it,” Trump claimed
on Air Force One en route to Florida, as per the reporters present on the plane.
When asked if the ongoing situation would affect the “phase two” of the U.S.-China trade deal to no
longer happen, Trump stated he was not even having it in his mind and that he had many more
important tasks on his mind.
The current situation of the trade agreement between the two economic titans, the first phase of the
deal which was signed and initiated earlier this year, has been impacted by the Covid-19 crisis.
The virus, which first emerged in the Chinese city of Wuhan, has heavily affected the world and
damaged America’s health and economy. More than 3 million cases and at least 133,291 deaths from
Covid-19 have been reported in the U.S., according to data from Johns Hopkins University, CNBC
reported.

(Reference: CNBC)