US President Donald Trump claimed Friday that were it not for him, Hong Kong "would have been obliterated in 14 minutes" by Chinese troops.
In an interview with Fox News, President Trump said President Xi Jinping refrained from sending in the military against pro-democracy demonstrators in the semi-autonomous city only because he asked him to.
"If it weren't for me, Hong Kong would have been obliterated in 14 minutes," President Trump said.
President Xi "has a million soldiers standing outside of Hong Kong, are not going only because I asked him. 'Please don't do that. You will be making a big mistake. It will have a tremendous negative impact on the trade deal.'"
Trump Says Spoke With Zelensky, Pledges To "End The War" Joe Biden Is The Best Person To Take On Trump, Says His Campaign Melania Trump Makes Rare Appearance At Republican National Convention Over 300 Indian Students Return Home As 105 Bangladeshis Die In Protests Bangladesh Imposes Curfew, Deploys Military As 105 Die In Protests "Jindal Group Executive Showed Porn, Groped Me On Flight": Woman To NDTV Global IT Chaos Persists, Flight Delays Expected Even Today: 10 Points Massive Global IT Crash Hits Airlines, Banks, Media: Live Updates "Stakes Are High, Choice Is Clear": Biden Vows To Stay In Presidential Race Track Latest News Live on NDTV.com and get news updates from India and around the world.