“ I believe our on-going trade relationship with China has benefitted them much more than it has benefitted us. We need free trade with other nations, but it must also be fair trade. The cost of manufacturing products in China has undercut manufacturing in our nation not only due to wage disparity, but because of our high cost of and delays associated with excessive number of regulations that we have that China does not have. This gives them an unfair advantage over us and is harmful to us. We need to roll back onerous regulations in our nation and encourage the three things that make an economy grow: manufacturing, mining (including gas and oil), and agriculture. We also need a growing supply of young people eager to work, to take risks in business ventures, and to make things better for succeeding generations. We can trade with China, but must take steps to make it fairer. We must also see them as a competitor for manufacturing and for the sale of products to other nations. Let’s take them on with intentionality rather than passively letting them win time and time again. ”

“ At the top of the list, we must pursue policies that will dramatically cut federal spending and reduce our federal debt so that we never find ourselves in a position of being blackmailed by the top foreign holder of U.S. debt. We must also cut back on the ever-growing mountain of federal regulations that make it difficult for American industry and employees to compete with Chinese manufacturers and workers. For the same purpose, we must also dramatically reduce what is now the highest corporate income tax in the world. China is one of the top offenders in commercial espionage and theft of intellectual property from U.S. firms, so we must take strong diplomatic action to push the Chinese government to end this practice. ”

“ The United States and China have a relationship of cooperation and intense competition. As to security, we must maintain our military presence and geo-political partnerships in order to balance China’s aggressive bid to displace the United States as the Asia-Pacific’s preeminent power. The U.S. should engage China in a way that protects the security of our allies and our interests in the region while minimizing, if possible, the potential for armed conflict. As to economics, America depends far less on China than the Chinese economy depends on the United States. China’s investment-driven economy relies on the open global system created by the U.S. The U.S. buys more goods from China than any other nation and is China’s largest trade partner. We have a large trade imbalance. China has an investment imbalance. It parks its money in dollar denominated assets. The U.S. should not abandon its free-market approach to China and retreat into protectionism. It would be a clear abandonment of America’s global leadership. But unfair trade practices and China’s protectionist policies should be fought in the marketplace, through the WTO, and other bilateral and multilateral forums. The U.S. should take strong measures to protect our intellectual property. Freer movement of money in and out of China is key. The U.S. should continue to recognize that human rights are universal and that China’s poor record is more detrimental to China’s own political stability and social and economic welfare. China is a one-party authoritarian regime which ruthlessly suppresses any group, or even lone individuals, who might threaten its monopoly on power. China should not escape condemnation with the pretense of “responsible stakeholder” when it provides diplomatic cover for authoritarian regimes—such as, North Korea, Iran, and Sudan—that abuse their own people and/or threaten American security. ”

“ We need to have a firm stance with China. China continues to blatantly violate the spirit of fair trade agreements, with their unfair manipulation of currency and their lack of intellectual property protections. When I served in Congress, I voted against Permanent Normal Trade Relations with China because of their egregious practices. America is consistently the most productive and innovative country in the world when we are provided with the opportunity to compete on a level playing field. We need stronger enforcement of our trade laws to protect American businesses and provide them with a level playing field to compete. ”