and we're all complicit

[alisawhite123]

In an interview with VOA News published Thursday, Bolton said that "people in America remember Tiananmen Square," warning China that "it would be a big mistake to create a new memory like that in Hong Kong."

The previous day, Trump linked a possible trade deal with Beijing to a peaceful resolution to the political unrest that has roiled the semi-autonomous Chinese city for 10 weeks.

"Of course China wants to make a deal. Let them work humanely with Hong Kong first!" Trump tweeted, in the first clear indication that the trade deal could be threatened by how Beijing reacts to the protests.

Activists are planning another series of mass rallies this weekend in a bid to show their cause still maintains broad public support despite violent scenes during a disruptive occupation of the airport.

On Tuesday, chaos erupted at one of the world's busiest transport hubs when protesters physically stopped travellers from boarding flights, battled riot police and assaulted two men they accused of being Chinese infiltrators.The president has imposed tariffs and railed against the Chinese over what he calls unfair trade practices. But he’s continued to speak warmly of Xi, describing the Chinese leader as a friend.

His Thursday tweet again might have been an attempt to praise Xi by implying that he is someone the pro-democracy protesters can trust.

A Trump administration official earlier described Trump’s “buttering up” of Xi as a key element of the U.S. president's philosophy on negotiations: that it’s important to personally flatter the person on the other side of the table.