President Trump said Tuesday that he would intervene in a criminal case against a Chinese executive to help forge a new trade deal with Beijing.
Trump said during an interview with Reuters that his administration could weigh in on the case against Huawei’s Chief Financial Officer Meng Wanzhou, who was arrested in Canada recently for allegedly violating sanctions against Iran.
“Whatever’s good for this country, I would do,” Trump said in the interview.
“If I think it’s good for what will be certainly the largest trade deal ever made – which is a very important thing – what’s good for national security – I would certainly intervene if I thought it was necessary.”
Wanzhou, who was released on bail Tuesday, has been accused of misleading multinational banks about Iran-linked transactions. Chinese officials have been outraged by her arrest.
Trump said on Tuesday that the White House has already spoken with the Justice Department and Chinese officials about the criminal case.
“They have not called me yet. They are talking to my people. But they have not called me yet,” Trump said when asked if he has spoken to Chinese President Xi Jinping.