Trump launches US probe into ‘unlawful’ China trade practices, raising spectre of trade war
US president vows to ‘stand up to any country that unlawfully forces American companies to transfer valuable technology as a condition of market access’
US President Donald Trump called China’s policies toward US companies operating in the country “unlawful”, as he kicked off an investigation that threatens to spark a trade war between the two largest economies.
“We will stand up to any country that unlawfully forces American companies to transfer their valuable technology as a condition of market access,” Trump told reporters in Washington after signing a “Memorandum Addressing China’s Laws, Policies, Practices, and Actions Related to Intellectual Property, Innovation, and Technology”.
“We will combat the counterfeiting and piracy that destroys American jobs, we will enforce the rules of fair and reciprocal trade that form the foundation of responsible commerce, and we will protect forgotten Americans who have been left behind by a global trade system that has failed to look – and I mean look – out for their interests. “
Trump appeared with US Trade Representative Robert Lighthizer, who will direct the investigation, Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin and Republican Congressman Darrell Issa.