China trade fight is a fight we need to win: Senator Hoeven
North Dakota Senator John Hoeven (R) told FOX Business Thursday he is pressing the administration to stay tough on China as U.S. trade talks kicked off.
“Certainly this is a fight we need to win. We want China to trade fair and quit stealing our technology, but it has had a huge impact on our farmers because the Chinese have targeted our farmers. And if the Chinese continue to delay, I have made it very clear to the administration that we have to do more," he said during an interview on “Cavuto: Coast-to-Coast.”
Hoeven added he thinks there is a recognition that the U.S. needs to push back and get the Chinese to play fair on trade, especially when it comes to agriculture and manufacturing.
“There are things we can do to help as we negotiate, but ultimately we've got to get China to trade on a fair basis, not steal our technology, and take down some of these trade barriers,” Hoeven said.
President Trump told reporters Thursday he thinks it is possible the U.S. and China can come to a trade agreement this week. He added that tariffs are an “excellent” alternative to a trade deal with Beijing after setting a midnight deadline to slap additional tariffs on China.
When asked by reporters if he would speak with Chinese President Xi Jinping, Trump sounded more optimistic.
“Well, he just wrote me a beautiful letter, I just received it, and I'll probably speak to him by phone,” he said.
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Liu He, China's vice premier and top trade negotiator, will have dinner with U.S. trade officials Thursday evening in Washington D.C., hours before the U.S. will increase tariffs on $200 billion in Chinese goods.