President Trump pledged not to “tolerate [China’s] abuse” of the U.S. economy Tuesday, denouncing the rising Pacific power as an predator in international markets at the United Nations General Assembly of world leaders.
“Those days are over,” Trump said of past U.S. trade policy. “We will no longer tolerate such abuse. We will not allow our workers to be victimized, our companies to be cheated, and our wealth to be plundered and transferred. America will never apologize for protecting its citizens.”
Trump identified China’s entrance to the World Trade Organization as a blow to American blue-collar workers, blaming it for the loss of millions of manufacturing jobs and an increase in trade deficits.
Trump has imposed $250 billion in tariffs on Chinese products, prompting China — the world’s second-largest economy — to impose retaliatory tariffs on the U.S. He has imposed additional tariffs on steel and aluminum imports on Canada, Mexico, and European Union, aimed at preventing China from dumping metal through third-party countries.
[Related: Trump is running out of tariffs to place on China, but has other options for more if needed]
The Trump administration is currently attempting several major trade negotiations on several fronts, including with its partners in the North American Free Trade Agreement, causing some Republicans and conservatives to blanch.
But Trump pledged Tuesday that the clash will end with China being forced to eliminate unfair practices that undercut the American ability to sell products around the world. “I’ve made clear our trade imbalance is just not acceptable,” he said. “China’s market distortions and the way they deal cannot be tolerated.”
[Also read: Trump gets a laugh from the UN General Assembly]
