The Republican Party has decided to go with Donald Trump's "America First" policy on trade deals for its official stance, which also takes a swipe at China.
Members of the Republican Party are meeting in Cleveland ahead of next week's convention to form the GOP's official stance on issues — including trade, which has now shifted on the heels of controversial trade legislation this year.
According to
The Wall Street Journal, the GOP's Platform Committee decided to keep its position on the North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA) and the Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP) out of its official platform. But the platform does call for a more inward-view on trade moving forward.
"We need better negotiated trade agreements that put America first," reads the platform, according to the Journal. "We cannot allow foreign governments to limit American access to their markets while stealing our designs, patents, brands, know-how and technology."
Trump, who is expected to fetch the presidential nomination next week,
has denounced NAFTA, the TPP, and China — "We can't continue to allow China to rape our country," he said in May.
"We cannot allow China to continue its currency manipulation, exclusion of U.S. products from government purchases, and subsidization of Chinese companies to thwart American imports," the updated platform reads.
"The current administration's way of dealing with these violations of world trade standards has been a virtual surrender."
The 112 members of the GOP's Platform Committee will finish their meetings on Tuesday, reports the Journal, and they are expected to weigh in on immigration before they adjourn.
On Monday, the committee
voted down a measure that would have tried to change the party's stance on gay marriage.
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