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19:53 GMT
WASHINGTON, Dec 4 (KUNA) -- US President Donald J. Trump on Wednesday affirmed that the trade talks with China would continue one day after the US House passed a bill aiming to protect the Uighur Muslims in China.
Speaking to reporters, he said, "We're talking to China. Those discussions are going very well and we'll see what happens. We're talking to China."
President Trump made the comments ahead of his meeting with German Chancellor Angela Merkel on the sidelines of the NATO Summit in London.
Yesterday, the US House passed legislation condemning human rights abuses against Uighur Muslims in China's autonomous Xinjiang region by an overwhelming 407-1 vote.
The bill, called The Uighur Act of 2019, also calls for sanctions against senior Chinese officials for their alleged roles in the abuse.
The legislation now heads to the Senate for a final endorsement.
On Wednesday, November 27, Trump signed another controversial legislation called "Hong Kong Human Rights and Democracy Act of 2019."
Trump affirmed in a separate statement "I signed these bills out of respect for President Xi (Jinping), China, and the people of Hong Kong."
He stressed "they are being enacted in the hope that Leaders and Representatives of China and Hong Kong will be able to amicably settle their differences leading to long term peace and prosperity for all."
The US set December 15 as date when tariffs on another USD 156 billion in Chinese goods would go into effect. Economists have viewed these tariffs as potentially the most damaging, since they directly target consumer goods. (pickup previous)
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