The Trump administration was encouraged this week when China lowered tariffs from 25 percent to 15 percent, and President Donald Trump will continue to advocate to make sure there is a level playing field between China and the United States, White House Director of Legislative Affairs Marc Short said Thursday.
"The president will continue to fight for American manufacturers and make sure it's level on both sides. We'll keep pushing forward in that direction," Short told Fox Business' "Mornings With Maria" host Maria Bartiromo.
Trump wants to use national security laws when considering imposing new tariffs, and Short said at this point, "what we're initiating is the process with the Department of Commerce about who will look into that, and they'll come to a report as to whether or not there's a national security [concern], which merits adding tariffs to imports."
He explained, as the nation continues to face hundreds of billions of dollars in trade deficits, many in the national secuirty realm have talked about one of the biggest concerns the United States faces is its $21 billion in debt, so Trump wants to examine any additional financial worries the United States might have.
The president is also going to ensure China is respecting intellectual property, Short said.
"I think there's been a lot of coverage on ZTE," he said. "There's a lot still to come on that. The administration is going to make sure that we are very strong in making sure we're protect intellectual property in this country."
One pathway is a commerce issue, and one is through the Department of Justice, he added.
"They are looking at civil penalties on ZTE and separately there's a criminal investigation," Short said. "Some people have jumped ahead of what they're expecting there. The administration will continue to hold China accountable for intellectual theft."
Sandy Fitzgerald ✉
Sandy Fitzgerald has more than three decades in journalism and serves as a general assignment writer for Newsmax covering news, media, and politics.
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