Kathmandu. In the run up to the upcoming United States Presidential elections, the candidates have been embroiled in one controversy after another. The New York Times reported on Tuesday that the US President and the republican nominee Donald Trump has been maintaining a Chinese bank account. It is handled by Trump International Hotels Management, whereby he has paid a total of $188,561 in taxes between 2013 to 2015, while buying licensing deals.

Alan Garten, one of the many lawyers under Trump’s organization, commented on the matter, mentioning that, “No deals, transactions or other business activities ever materialized and, since 2015, the office has remained inactive.” He further added that, “Though the bank account remains open, it has never been used for any other purpose.”

This comes as the Trump campaign has been active in critiquing the Democratic nominee, Joe Biden for “being soft” on China. An advertisement released by the campaign read, “During America’s crisis, Biden protected China’s feelings.” Even as Trump himself has been found to be praising China’s COVID-19 management in January, and has called the Chinese President Xi Jinping “a friend” in March, further advertisements were released that painted Biden as a sympathizer towards the Chinese cause, in relation to US national interests. One particular advertisement included the title, “Biden Opposed China Coronavirus Travel Restrictions That Saved Lives,” in response to Biden’s tweet, which he wrote a day after the travel ban on China was announced, where he mentioned that the Trump administration was fostering “hysteria, xenophobia, and fear-mongering.”

Now, Trump’s tax records show that he has invested around $192,000 in five companies that were formed over the years to pursue several business projects in China. The foreign accounts are not displayed in his public financial disclosures because they are listed under corporate names, and do not come under his personal assets.

This piece adds to a New York Times report published on September 27, 2020, where it was noted that Trump is yet to pay federal income taxes since 2000. Trump denied these allegations posited by the report, a day later on September 28, at a White House press briefing where he stated, “I pay a lot, and I pay a lot in state income taxes.” In addition to China, Trump maintains bank accounts in both Ireland and Britain.