Trade Chief: China Has 'Blueprint to Steal Our Economic Future'

China has the "blueprint" to steal the United States' economic future through the theft of intellectual property, White House National Trade Council Director Peter Navarro said Friday.

Navarro made the comment explaining President Donald Trump's decision to propose another $100 billion in tariffs against the country.

"The context is China steals our intellectual property," Navarro told Fox News' "Fox & Friends."

"Everybody knows that when our companies go to China, they are forced to surrender technology and China has a blueprint basically to steal our economic future by stealing industries like artificial intelligence, robotics, and such."

Trump has directed Ambassador Robert Lighthizer to develop tariffs and other restrictions to stop that activity, Navarro said.

"Yesterday, after China responded not by cleaning up its act but rather by trying to punish American farmers," Navarro said, "the president made a decision. This is the decision the president wants to send to the American people.

"First he will have the back of American farmers when China tries to attack them. He directed the Secretary of Agriculture Sonny Perdue, a great American, to implement a plan immediately to prevent any harm done to our American farmers. We want to assure you that that plan will be put in place immediately."

In addition, Trump will stand up for America and the message it's sending to China, said Navarro, while insisting the president has a "great relationship" with Chinese President Xi Jinping.

"This is business, and this is the kind of business where we have to stand firm against unfair trade practices, unlike the previous president, who for the last 16 years prior to this president basically surrendered over 70,000 factories to China and millions of manufacturing jobs," said Navarro. "This is a historic moment."

Navarro also responded to concerns voiced by Sen. Ben Sasse, R-Neb., who called the escalating tariffs "the dumbest possible way" to punish China.

"Hopefully the President is just blowing off steam again but, if he's even half-serious, this is nuts," Sasse said in a statement Thursday. "Let's absolutely take on Chinese bad behavior, but with a plan that punishes them instead of us."

"For months we looked at how the Chinese might respond to the imposition of the defense of America," said Navarro. "We thought that they might go after American farmers as one of the most vulnerable. We expected better behavior from the Chinese, but expected they might do this. We are prepared for this."

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