George Soros is not in favor of the US working with China on the coronavirus crisis. The billionaire believes the US must protect its democracy.
To keep its democracy strong, the US must be cautious of working too closely with China, according to Soros.
Soros told the German newspaper Augsburger Allgemeine said that the efforts to address the coronavirus pandemic wane due to ongoing tensions between US and China. President Donald Trump’s blaming of China for the COVID-19 outbreak also complicates the process.
“There are a lot of people who say we should be working very closely with China (on tackling the crisis) — but I am not in favor of doing that,” he said.
“We must protect our democratic open society. At the same time, we must find a way to cooperate on fighting climate change and the novel coronavirus. That won’t be easy," he added.
Xi Jinping’s hold on power
In his interview with Augsburger Allgemeine, he expressed sympathy for the Chinese people who described as “under the domination of a dictator.”
Moreover, he claims that Chinese President Xi Jinping’s hold on power gets more pressure from the coronavirus crisis.
“Many well-educated Chinese are deeply angry at the party leadership for hiding the coronavirus for so long,” Soros said.
“When Xi abolished term limits and named himself, in essence, president for life, he destroyed the political future of the most important and ambitious men in a very narrow and competitive elite,” Soros said.
“It was a big mistake on his part. So, yes, he is very strong in a way, but at the same time extremely weak, and now perhaps vulnerable," he noted.
The World Health Organization (WHO) reportedly received the first news about the novel coronavirus in late December. An outbreak in the Chinese city of Wuhan already emerged. Experts suggest that the virus that causes COVID-19 started in one of the city’s wildlife markets, known as wet markets.
Many observers criticized China for a lack of transparency and mishandling the initial outbreak. However, China denied any mishap. Chinese Vice Premier Le Yucheng told NBC in April that the county “did not cover anything up and did not delay any efforts.”
Meanwhile, the WHO cautioned against blaming countries for the coronavirus pandemic. The organization warned that blaming countries with a high number of cases could affect the accuracy of domestic reports on the outbreak.
A spokesperson for China’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs told CNBC on May 6 that the country made "a timely, transparent, open, and efficient manner" in terms of reporting about the outbreak "and actively carried out global anti-epidemic cooperation."
"A dictator"
Soros also criticized Trump’s politicking. The billionaire accused the US president of wanting to be a dictator. However, the US Constitution is getting in Trump's way.
The philanthropist also said that Trump does not manifest the values of an open and free society.
“Donald Trump would like to be a dictator,” he told Augsburger Allgemeine.
“But he cannot be one because there is a Constitution in the United States that people still respect, and it will prevent him from doing certain things — that doesn’t mean he will not try because he is literally fighting for his political survival.”
White House representatives declined to comment about Soros' remarks when contacted by CNBC.
Soros considers Trump’s presidency a “weakness” for the US. He also emphasized that the president was self-destructive.
“I have put my faith in Trump to destroy himself, and he has exceeded my wildest expectations,” he said.
