President Donald Trump is protecting American technology by reigniting a trade fight between the U.S. and China, White House trade adviser Peter Navarro said Wednesday.
Navarro's comments came in interview on the Fox Business Network's "Mornings with Maria."
The administration has announced it will impose 25 percent tariffs on about $50 billion of Chinese imports
But just over a week ago Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin had said a trade war with China was "on hold."
"We are putting the trade war on hold," Mnuchin said. "Right now, we have agreed to put the tariffs on hold while we try to execute the framework."
But Navarro told host Maria Bartiromo on Wednesday: "This is a trade dispute that we are having with China. As President Trump said we lost the trade war long ago… President Trump has the courage and vision to turn that around."
He called Trump's action "very strong" and said it is designed to defend "the crowned jewels of American technology."
"The tariffs are put in place purely as a defensive measure," he said. "This was a very strong step by the president."
Navarro said the administration is prepared for retaliation from China.
"Certainly, we're ready for anything the Chinese state wants to do in response to our legitimate defense of our intellectual property and technology."
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