(NewsNation) — Part of President-elect Donald Trump‘s attempt to tighten the reins on China could be revoking the country’s permanent normal trade relationship, says Rep. John Moolenaar, R-Mich.
Moolenaar is a ranking member on the Select Committee on Strategic Competition between the United States and the Chinese Communist Party.
“Our plan is to revoke the permanent normal trade relationship status of China,” Moolenaar told “The Hill on NewsNation” Monday.
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Referencing Trump’s proposal to enact a 60% tariff on goods from China, Moolenaar said that tightening China’s trade capabilities this way aligns with the president-elect’s approach.
“I’m not here to say he’s endorsing it, but it certainly is in line with his thinking, and I look forward to working with him and his administration to implement this,” he added.
While the United States does not currently have a free trade agreement with China, the two countries did sign the Phase One trade deal during Trump’s first term.
The deal required China to enact structural reforms to its economic and trade regime, which secured “a level playing field for American competitiveness.”
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“Since China entered this agreement with the United States and the world, they’ve cheated on every aspect,” Moolenaar said. “They’ve stolen intellectual property. They’ve committed all sorts of violations … they simply are not a favored trading partner, and we shouldn’t give them that privileged position.”
Revoking China’s trade relationship status would inevitably shift item availability and hike prices for American consumers, a concern many have raised about Trump’s tariff proposals.
Nonpartisan tax policy nonprofit The Tax Foundation analyzed a dozen outcome estimates for Trump’s proposed tariffs, with every study finding his proposals would negatively impact the U.S. economy.
