The United States is planning to place China on a list of perpetrators in the area of trade and forced labor, a source familiar with the case said. This is a step that could exacerbate China's tensions with President Donald Trump. This criticism to China comes despite Trump's friendly relations with Chinese counterpart Xi Jinping and President's efforts to win Beijing over to help control North Korea's nuclear program and projectile development.
China on lowest level
Secretary of State Rex Tillerson has decided to lower China's rating to "Tier 3," which is the lowest level.
The ranking is expected to be published this Tuesday in a report released by the State Department's Office to Monitor and Combat Trafficking in Persons. Ranking in this third categories can lead to sanctions that would limit American and international aid, but American presidents do not use that drastic measure very often.
It is not clear what reason Tillerson had for downgrading China, and the latest report has criticized the Communist government for not doing enough to counter the "forced labor behind the state" and concluded that it did not meet the "minimum standards" required in the fight against trafficking, although it said how Beijing invests considerable efforts.
With India against terrorism
President Donald Trump thanked Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi for his country joining new sanctions on Pyongyang and called for a quick resolution of the threats posed by the nuclear and ballistic program of North Korea. Trump, after his first conversations with Modi, said Washington and New Delhi's relationship has "never been stronger."
"The North Korean regime is causing huge problems and that is something that has to be solved," Trump said after talks in the White House, adding that stopping the Pyongyang weapons program was a foreign policy priority for the United States.
Trump also welcomed the promise of close military cooperation between India and the United States, particularly in the fight against the Islamic State. "Both of our nations are affected by evil terrorism," Trump said. "We will destroy the radical Islamic terrorism." Trump and Modi promised to work together to strengthen their economies, despite the remaining trade disputes, immigration, and climate change policies.
The two leaders met at a time when Trump's administration tends to limit or even stop issuing visas that enable foreign workers with special US-employment skills. These visas bring nearly 100,000 employees to the United States, most of them in high-technology engineering jobs.
