Former U.N. Ambassador Nikki Haley said Thursday that China is “not our friend” as President Donald Trump prepares to meet President Xi Jinping next month, citing Beijing’s alleged funding of Iran’s war effort and hacking of U.S. infrastructure.
‘They Are Not Our Friend’
“When President Trump meets with President Xi next month, Xi will turn on the charm and claim China is a good actor,” Haley wrote on X.
She said Beijing is simultaneously “funding Iran in a war against us, hacking our critical infrastructure, and undermining America at every turn,” urging Washington to “hold them accountable.”
A Consistent Hawkish Stance
Haley has long cast China as an adversary. In 2023, she called it “the biggest threat we’ve had since Pearl Harbor”.
The recent claims of China’s alleged support for Iran aren’t new either. She made a similar claim in June, alleging China had supplied weapons systems to Iran while Russia provided drones and satellite support during the Iran conflict.
Haley has also repeatedly raised concerns about China’s ambitions toward Taiwan, warning that Chinese control of the island would give Beijing leverage over the world’s semiconductor supply chain. Taiwan remains a flashpoint between Washington and Beijing, with China describing the island as “the first red line that must not be crossed” in bilateral relations.
DOJ, FBI Seize Platforms Behind Breach
The former Republican presidential candidate made the comments as the Justice Department and FBI announced Wednesday that they had seized the domains used by QScan and QTRouter, hacking platforms developed by the China-linked group QTFY.
Court records unsealed in the Southern District of California link QTFY to Nanjing Xinjiuwei Network Technology Co. The records allege that the company sold hacking services to China’s Ministry of State Security and the People’s Liberation Army.
The alleged targets included NASA, the Federal Reserve, the Energy and Justice departments and the U.S. Senate.
Trump Weighs New Tariffs
The high-stakes meeting will be the second between the two leaders this year. Trump traveled to China in May. Following the summit, he and Xi established new bilateral trade and investment boards, though Taiwan and trade-fairness concerns remained unresolved.
The Trump administration is also separately weighing a 7.5% tariff on Chinese imports over industrial overcapacity.
Disclaimer: This content was partially produced with the help of AI tools and was reviewed and published by Benzinga editors.
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