November 29, 2019

Domestic political considerations behind Trump's signing of Hong Kong Bills

Featuring: Daniel Kliman

Source: The Straits Times

Journalist: Charissa Yong

China may fume at United States President Donald Trump’s signing of a pair of Bills supporting the Hong Kong democracy protests, but Mr Trump has calculated that the move is unlikely to sink the trade deal they are trying to work out, said experts. In any case, his signing was less about the trade deal and more about bolstering his domestic political position, they said.

The Bills had managed the rare feat of garnering near-unanimous consent in both the House and Senate, and Mr Trump would have looked better signing them than going against Congress.

Read the full story and more in The Straits Times.

Author

  • Daniel Kliman

    Former Program Director and Senior Fellow, Indo-Pacific Security Program

    Daniel M. Kliman is the former Program Director and Senior Fellow for the Indo-Pacific Security Program at the Center for a New American Security (CNAS). He is an expert in As...