White House trade director Peter Navarro detailed on Monday what the administration hopes to accomplish by lifting tariffs on China for 90 days.
“China needs structural change and forced technology transfers to stop them from expropriating American intellectual property, to stop them hacking our businesses, stop manipulating their currency, high tariffs, high non-tariffs, all of that,” Navarro, who serves as the director of the White House National Trade Council, told host Laura Ingraham on “The Laura Ingraham Show.”
“We didn’t really give up anything to China. We just said, ‘You have 90 days to do several things.'”
President Donald Trump announced that China agreed to reduce and remove tariffs on imported cars on Sunday.
The announcement came as part of a 90-day halt in which the president will delay a scheduled tariff increase on China, Fox News noted.
Chinese President Xi Jinping and Trump negotiated the agreement during a discussion to quell an escalating trade war while at the G20 summit in Buenos Aires, Argentina.
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“One is to engage in real, verifiable structural changes that result in real, verifiable results,” Navarro told Ingraham. “We said that you also have to demonstrate greater market access, and one of the many ways they can do that is by purchasing hundreds of billions of dollars of both agriculture and non-agriculture products. But I want to caution everyone here. This isn’t a kind of cash-for-products deal. The most important thing is those structural changes that have to be met.”
U.S. Trade Representative Robert Lighthizer has been helping to lead trade talks for the administration on multiple fronts, including China.
He has repeatedly called out China when the country hasn’t been meeting its obligations, including on tariffs and more recently on intellectual property protections.
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“Lighthizer has been put in charge of negotiations,” Navarro said. “You know him as the toughest USTR we have ever had in our history. He’s going to hold the Chinese accountable.”
Trump has been dissatisfied with existing international trade agreements in general but has paid particular attention to China. His administration has imposed multiple tariffs on the country this year; the latest was a 10-percent tariff on $200 billion worth of imported goods.
My meeting in Argentina with President Xi of China was an extraordinary one. Relations with China have taken a BIG leap forward! Very good things will happen. We are dealing from great strength, but China likewise has much to gain if and when a deal is completed. Level the field!
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) December 3, 2018
President Xi and I have a very strong and personal relationship. He and I are the only two people that can bring about massive and very positive change, on trade and far beyond, between our two great Nations. A solution for North Korea is a great thing for China and ALL!
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) December 3, 2018
China was already hit with $50 billion worth of tariffs earlier this year.
China has also agreed to buy an unspecified but a substantial amount of domestic products to help narrow the trade deficit the United States has with China.
The country is also expected to lower its tariffs below 40 percent.
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