President Donald Trump is right in trying to get a trade deal with China, Sen. Rick Scott said Thursday, but he doubts that one will happen.
"I never believed there would be a deal," the Florida Republican told Fox News' "America's Newsroom." "China has been stealing our technology for decades. They didn't open up their market. They track all their citizens through facial technology, but they can't figure out where fentanyl is being produced."
China, he added, "is not our friend and partner. They negotiate a deal and change their mind. Deals like that never happen...they don't want to comply. They don't comply with the World Trade Organization rules. They are a bad actor, not our friend."
The country is also militarizing the South China Sea region, said Scott, and the United States needs to "understand they are our adversary. Stop buying anything from China. They are not our friend."
It will not hurt to have a conversation with China, Scott continued, but the country can't succeed unless it cheats.
"They can't succeed unless they steal technology, or open up their markets, or compete with American companies, so we will not get a deal," the senator added. "The only thing the president can do is add tariffs so that will happen. I think anything we collect in tariffs we ought to give back to the American public in tax reductions. It will help American companies long term and hopefully impact China to stop being a bad actor."
Sandy Fitzgerald ✉
Sandy Fitzgerald has more than three decades in journalism and serves as a general assignment writer for Newsmax covering news, media, and politics.
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