Trump, Schumer agree on something – China
President Trump has said he will impose more tariffs on China this week as trade negotiations between the world’s two largest economies appear to have stagnated, garnering support from seemingly unlikely allies on the other side of aisle.
New York Democrat Sen. Chuck Schumer tweeted a message of support for Trump’s tough stance on trade with China this week, telling the president to “hang tough.” He reiterated those comments in D.C. on Tuesday, saying China has stolen "trillions" of dollars from the U.S. and there should be no rush for the Trump administration to sign an agreement.
While Trump and Schumer have a growing list of other policy differences, Schumer’s point of view on China and trade has generally lined up with the Trump administration.
“Senator Schumer has long been a China trade hawk, having expressed concerns about China’s currency policies and other trade practices,” Simon Lester, the associate director of Cato's Herbert A. Stiefel Center for Trade Policy Studies, told FOX Business.
Ahead of a meeting between Trump and China’s President Xi Jinping last year, Schumer urged Trump to “stay strong,” and not to make any concessions on China’s theft of American intellectual property.
Last year, Trump said on Twitter “Chuck [Schumer] and I have long agreed” on leveling the playing field with China.
A number of Democrats have expressed similar concerns as Schumer and Trump when it comes to China. Independent Vermont Sen. Bernie Sanders – who is running for the Democratic Party’s nomination in 2020 – recently unveiled a list of trade priorities, including labeling China as a currency manipulator and preventing it from dumping cheap products in the U.S.
House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, D-Calif., recently said she thought the U.S. missed an opportunity to join forces with the European Union in an effort to put pressure on China during trade negotiations, as reported by Reuters.
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However, the harmonization on China comes as Democrats are trying to call Special Counsel Robert Mueller to testify, regarding his recently released report on whether the Trump administration colluded with Russia, and whether Trump possibly obstructed justice.
President Trump this week has said the U.S. will increase tariffs on all Chinese products to 25 percent -- $200 billion worth of goods are currently subject to a 10 percent levy – in addition to imposing them on $325 billion worth of new goods. The new tariffs are expected to take effect on Friday.