By Paul Boardman

President Donald Trump is taking drastic steps to curb China’s influence in trade and technological innovation. China’s unfair trade practices are receiving long overdue opposition. 

In February, Trump increased tariffs on Chinese imports, particularly in industries where China’s trade practices have harmed the American worker and family. Most notably, he imposed an additional 10% tariff on Chinese goods to curb the influx of illicit substances like fentanyl, which have plagued too many U.S. communities for far too long.

Before President Trump took office, China imported many products into the U.S. for free because of the “de minimis rule,” a loophole that exempted low-value shipments from paying tariffs or customs fees. No more. President Trump closed this loophole and added significant tariff penalties to ensure China does not get off scot-free anymore. These actions have placed significant economic pressure on China to reform its trade policies to better respect American workers and businesses.

Beyond tariffs and fentanyl, Trump is also working overtime to stop Wall Street from growing the Chinese influence machine.

Before Trump took office, Chinese companies could raise billions from U.S. investors without having to comply with America’s financial transparency laws. This was particularly problematic because many of these companies had ties to the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) and used these funds to help fuel the country’s predatory geopolitical playbook. Thankfully, however, Trump has said “enough is enough.” His administration is working to delist all Chinese firms that refuse to follow U.S. financial regulations so that the CCP can no longer run roughshod over the U.S. with American dollars. 

While great strides have already been made to curtail the CCP’s predatory influence, the Trump administration’s work in keeping China from taking advantage of American workers has only just begun. The next phase of his strategy should tackle two key areas.

Protecting American Farmland

China owns hundreds of thousands of acres of American farmland, including critical land near military installations. This presents an obvious national security risk. In addition to Trump’s work strengthening American industry in the worldwide market, his administration should limit China’s ownership of U.S. land and other strategic assets by barring Chinese ownership of American farmland and other strategic industries. Preventing foreign adversaries from controlling American soil is essential to safeguarding the nation’s future.

Stopping China’s Tech Theft and Dominance

For far too long now, Chinese companies linked to the CCP have stolen America’s intellectual property and technology to bolster their own industries. The Trump administration should ensure they face aggressive sanctions so that American innovation is not further exploited for the benefit of a rogue regime with dangerous global ambitions. 

The worst of the bunch is Huawei, a serial theft of the U.S.’ IP and trade secrets, which controls 30% of the telecommunications market worldwide. The Department of Defense considers Huawei to be a national security threat, primarily because of its deep ties to the CCP and the backdoors in its technology that potentially allow the CCP easy access to its data. It even put the company on its “Entity List.”

To counter this threat, the DOJ—led by Pam Bondi and Gail Slater—should take decisive action against Huawei. In the short term, they should approve the proposed merger between HPE and Juniper Networks, bolstering American competitiveness in telecommunications and reducing reliance on Chinese technology. From there, they should enforce export control violations more vigorously than the Biden administration did, prosecuting companies or individuals that attempt to bypass the U.S.’ restrictions on Huawei’s products.

It is refreshing to have a president who prioritizes America’s economic strength and national security over foreign adversaries. With four more years of Trump’s leadership, America has a real opportunity to secure its future, safeguard its industries, and build an economy based on fairness and innovation—not Chinese exploitation.

Paul Boardman is Chairman of the Decouple China PAC