Jan. 15, 2020, Fairfax, Va.—Americans for Limited Government President Rick Manning today issued the following statement praising President Donald Trump’s concluded phase one trade agreement with China:
“President Trump may have achieved what almost every American including me viewed as impossible through the signature of the fair and reciprocal phase one U.S.-China trade deal. While much of the economic focus will be on $50 billion of Chinese purchases of U.S. agriculture, it must be recognized those are of necessity as China’s food supplies remain dangerously low. The real test of this deal whether China will change its economic DNA to keep its word and respect intellectual property and ending competitive currency devaluations, as well as to purchase U.S. manufacturing. With the increased oppression of the freedom lovers in Hong Kong, it is hard to put much credence in the Chinese signature on the documents. However, the fact they’ve signed them at all is directly attributable to President Trump’s imposition of tariffs which forced Beijing to make written accommodations to fundamental American economic concerns, and which will remain in place as an enforcement mechanism.
“It is my sincere hope that this deal leads to an open, economically free China that doesn’t kill its own citizens who engage in legitimate political dissent, and we encourage President Trump to hold the Chinese government strictly accountable for any failure to comply with this deal. As for tariff skeptics, perhaps they will learn the basic lesson that tariffs can work when thoughtfully and appropriately applied.”
Interview Availability: Please contact Americans for Limited Government at 703-383-0880 ext. 1 or at media@limitgov.org.
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