Trump: HK Crackdown Would Make Trade Deal 'hard'

US President Donald Trump on Sunday warned Beijing that carrying out a Tiananmen Square-style crackdown on Hong Kong pro-democracy protesters would harm trade talks between the two countries.

"I think it'd be very hard to deal if they do violence, I mean, if it's another Tiananmen Square," Trump told journalists in New Jersey. "I think it's a very hard thing to do if there's violence."

Trump had previously urged Beijing to deal with Hong Kong "humanely" before progressing on trade talks.

Earlier on Sunday, Trumps chief economic adviser said Washington and Beijing were working to revive pivotal talks aimed at ending the trade war that has roiled world markets.

If calls between both sides' deputies pan out in the next 10 days "and we can have a substantive renewal of negotiations," Larry Kudlow said on "Fox News Sunday," "then we are planning to have China come to the USA and meet with our principals to continue the negotiations".

The US president himself weighed in on Twitter, saying, "We are doing very well with China, and talking!"

In another tweet, he added that the US economy was "poised for big growth after trade deals are completed," and that China is "eating Tariffs". (AFP)