Trump suggests he may do away with Russia sanctions if Moscow helpful: WSJ

[January 14, 2017]  (Reuters) - U.S. President-elect Donald Trump said in an interview with the Wall Street Journal he would keep intact sanctions against Russia "at least for a period of time," and also said he wouldn't commit to the "one China" policy until he sees progress from Beijing in its currency and trade practices.

In excerpts from an hourlong interview published by the Journal on Friday, Trump said: "If you get along and if Russia is really helping us, why would anybody have sanctions if somebody’s doing some really great things?"

Trump suggested he might do away with the sanctions - imposed by the Obama administration in late December in response to Moscow’s alleged cyber attacks - if Moscow proves helpful in battling terrorists and reaching other goals important to Washington, the Journal reported.

Trump told the newspaper he is prepared to meet with Russian President Vladimir Putin some time after he is sworn in on Jan. 20.

"I understand that they would like to meet, and that’s absolutely fine with me," he said.

Asked if he supported the "one China" policy on Taiwan that has underpinned U.S. relations with Beijing for decades, Trump told the Journal: "Everything is under negotiation including One China."

Trump angered the Chinese by taking a congratulatory phone call after his election win from Taiwan's leader and questioning the "one China" policy.

The United States has acknowledged the Chinese position that there is only one China and that Taiwan is part of China.

Trump has said in the past he would label China a currency manipulator after he takes office. In the interview, he said he wouldn’t take that step on his first day in the White House. “I would talk to them first," he said.

"Certainly they are manipulators," he added. "But I’m not looking to do that."

President-elect Donald Trump waves to supporters as he makes an appearance in the lobby at Trump Tower in New York, U.S., January 13, 2017. REUTERS/Mike Segar

But he made plain his displeasure with China’s currency practices. "Instead of saying, 'We’re devaluating our currency,' they say, 'Oh, our currency is dropping.' It’s not dropping. They’re doing it on purpose," he said, according to the Journal.

"Our companies can’t compete with them now because our currency is strong and it’s killing us," the Journal quoted Trump as saying.

Calls to the Chinese foreign ministry spokesman’s office were not answered, and the ministry did not respond immediately to an emailed request for comment on the Wall Street Journal interview.

(Additional reporting by John Ruwitch in Shanghai; Writing by Eric Beech in Washington; Editing by Sandra Maler and Mary Milliken)

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