Trump floats direct meeting between Xi, Hong Kong protesters

Chinese President Xi Jinping could settle unrest in Hong Kong by meeting personally with pro-democracy protesters, President Trump said Thursday.

While there is no indication that’s in the cards — satellite photos suggested a Chinese military buildup near the semi-autonomous island — Mr. Trump appeared to be suggesting his own, norm-breaking style could work overseas.

“If President Xi would meet directly and personally with the protesters, there would be a happy and enlightened ending to the Hong Kong problem. I have no doubt!” Mr. Trump said.

Mr. Trump said Mr. Xi could settle the matter in “15 minutes” if the protesters sent their leaders to the table.

“I know it’s not the kind of thing he does, but I think it wouldn’t be a bad idea,” Mr. Trump said as he departed for a rally in New Hampshire.

He floated the idea one day after he urged Mr. Xi to “quickly and humanely solve the Hong Kong problem,” treating it as a situation that must be dealt with before landing a trade deal with the U.S.

“I wouldn’t want to see a violent crackdown,” Mr. Trump said, responding to fears that mainland China is losing patience.

Joshua Wong, a prominent Hong Kong activist, said “Emperor Xi” is welcome to meet the protesters on their turf.

’”Welcome Emperor Xi come to HK and meet with protesters directly and openly during demonstration,” he tweeted with a thumbs-up emoji and a copy of Mr. Trump’s tweet.

Mr. Trump’s proposal to Mr. Xi seemed to draw from his own diplomatic toolbox.

Mr. Trump has been willing to break tradition and do the unexpected, such as meeting with North Korean leader Kim Jong-un despite decades of animosity between the brutal regime and the U.S.

Critics say Mr. Trump needs to offer more vocal support for the protesters, who say China is infringing on the “one country, two systems” law that governs Hong Kong.

Members of Congress have offered a full-throated defense of their battle for full democracy, calling on Beijing to avoid a brutal crackdown amid clashes with police.

Mr. Trump has taken a more neutral stance, saying he wants a positive outcome for all involved, although the State Department on Wednesday said it is “deeply concerned by reports of Chinese paramilitary movement.”

The department also told Beijing to respect the protesters’ freedom of speech and “high degree of autonomy, which is enshrined in the Sino-British Joint Declaration outlining the island’s handover to China in 1997.

White House National Security Adviser John Bolton said China needs to “look very carefully” at the steps they take, noting Americans remember the brutal crackdown in Tiananmen Square 30 years ago.

“It would be a big mistake to create a new memory like that in Hong Kong,” he told the Voice of America.

China’s foreign ministry has urged the U.S. to butt out of the Hong Kong situation, calling it an internal matter.

Its spokeswoman on Thursday pointed to Mr. Trump’s statements on the crisis earlier this month, in which he said: “That’s between Hong Kong and that’s between China, because Hong Kong is a part of China. They’ll have to deal with that themselves.”