Interior Secretary Doug Burgum argued President is entering this weeks high-stakes summit with Chinese President Xi Jinping in the “strongest position” of any American leader.
Burgum joined “Fox & Friends” Tuesday to preview Trumps trip to Beijing, explaining how s reliance on foreign resources puts them in a weakened state during negotiations.
“President Trumps in the strongest position of any U.S. leader ever going into a discussion with China,” Burgum said. “The U.S. economy is strong. China’s economy is faltering. It’s just a great spot.”
He said China is vulnerable due to its energy dependency. Burgum pointed to Trumps “geopolitical game” of restricting Chinas access to cheap Venezuelan and Iranian oil as a key factor in bolstering U.S. leverage.
“China is the most energy-dependent country in the world, just the opposite of the U.S., which is the most energy-dominant country in the world,” Burgum said.
“Their strategic stockpile is dwindling, and their economy is faltering. They’re super dependent on imported energy,” he added.
Burgum also said China imports large amounts of food to feed its population, while the United States has a surplus. “China also imports calories every day. They don’t raise enough food to feed everybody in that country,” he said.
“We’ve got energy security and food security in America. China has neither of those things. He’s in a great position in these negotiations,” Burgum added.
During the trip, the Trump administration is over its support for Iran and Russia. U.S. officials are also expected to address Chinas restrictions on materials needed for advanced semiconductors.
Trump visited in November 2017. The two world leaders were originally set to meet at the end of March, but the outbreak of fighting in Iran pushed it back.
