John Bolton says Trump used Huawei as a bargaining chip for reelection

[Chris Smith]

• John Bolton's new book on the Trump administration will be out on June 23rd, although the Department of Justice filed an emergency restraining order to stop its publication.
• The former national security advisor claims that Trump used Huawei and ZTE as bargaining chips in his negotiations with China, and it was all part of his strategy of forging a new trade deal with China, which would help with his reelection campaign.
• An excerpt from the book published before its official release date reveals various details about Trump's dealings with China, including his plea with Xi Jinping to help him win the 2020 election.

When Trump's administration imposed a ban on Huawei last May, many wondered whether the decision to stop China's largest smartphone maker from dealing with US firms was based on security concerns or whether it was just a tactic meant to turn Huawei into a bargaining chip for a future trade deal. In the months that followed, it became clear the ban would not be overturned anytime soon. Just like that, Huawei wasn't able to work with any US tech company or use technology made by American firms and their partners. The ban hurt Huawei's mobile business primarily, as it forced it to pivot away from Google and create its own operating system. The OS is based on Android but lacks any of the Google apps that define Android, including the Play Store. Huawei's telecom infrastructure arm was also hurt in the process, as the US continued to lobby its allies against allowing Huawei's 5G equipment for use in emerging 5G networks.

Fast-forward to more than a year later, and almost nothing has changed. The one difference is that former Trump security adviser John Bolton, who had the job from April 2018 to September 2019, is releasing a revealing book about the Trump presidency as he experienced it from inside the White House. The controversial book that will hit stores next week, assuming the Department of Justice can't block it, also contains plenty of details about Trump's relationship with China. Among other things, Bolton reveals that Trump was ready to ignore the security implications related to Huawei and ZTE to advance a trade deal in order to benefit his reelection campaign.

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John Bolton says Trump used Huawei as a bargaining chip for reelection originally appeared on BGR.com on Thu, 18 Jun 2020 at 21:07:38 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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