[Asia Economy New York=Correspondent Baek Jong-min]Donald Trump, the President of the United States, reportedly asked Xi Jinping, the President of China, for support in his re-election bid, according to John Bolton, former White House National Security Advisor.
On the 17th (local time), Bolton published an excerpt from his upcoming book, "The Room Where It Happened: A White House Memoir," in the Wall Street Journal (WSJ), making this claim.
According to the WSJ, Bolton referred to the conversation between the two leaders during the G20 summit in June last year, stating, "At that time, Trump surprisingly shifted the conversation to the upcoming U.S. presidential election," and "he earnestly asked President Xi to help him win."
Bolton further added, "President Trump emphasized to President Xi that farmers and increased imports of Chinese soybeans and wheat were important factors in the election outcome." This implies that Trump requested China to purchase more American agricultural products to secure the crucial farmer vote in the November election.
Through his WSJ contribution, Bolton also asserted, "President Trump begged President Xi Jinping for support in domestic politics, trading national interests for his re-election and turning a blind eye to China's human rights abuses."
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