Trump reportedly used Hong Kong as a trade-war bargaining chip with Beijing

President Trump hasn't said much about the pro-Democracy protests in Hong Kong. That's because he told Chinese president Xi Jinping that the U.S. would tone down its criticism of Beijing's approach to the demonstrations while the two were in Osaka for the G-20 summit, The Financial Times reports.

Several people familiar with the meeting between the presidents said that Trump made the promise in an attempt to revive trade talks between the nations, which ultimately proved successful. Trump also reportedly made a similar pledge during a phone call with Xi before the two spoke in Japan.

The U.S. hasn't been completely silent when it comes to the mass rallies in Hong Kong, which were sparked by a bill proposal that would have allowed extradition to mainland China, thus causing concern among Hong Kong's citizenry that Beijing was encroaching on their rule of law. Trump vaguely complimented the protesters, saying they "were looking for democracy," adding that it was unfortunate that "some governments don't want democracy." He did not, however, mention Beijing by name.

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Further, Vice President Mike Pence and Secretary of State Mike Pompeo on Monday met with Jimmy Lai, a pro-democracy publisher from Hong Kong, in a move that angered Beijing.

But all told, U.S. support for the protesters has remained subtle. Following Trump's meeting with Xi, the State Department told Kurt Tong, the departing U.S. consul general in Hong Kong, to remove several comments critical toward Beijing from his final speech in the territory, FT reports. Economy first, after all. Read more at The Financial Times.