Seventy countries have responded to President Trump’s insistence on reciprocity in bilateral trade relations by seeking to negotiate with the United States. Communist China is not among them.

While the Chinese Communist Party left the door to negotiations open a crack, its overwhelming response is belligerent retaliation. Obviously, it hopes to avoid humiliating submission – and, if possible, to induce U.S. trade partners to join instead China’s exploitative mercantilist arrangements.

There’s another explanation: The CCP is at war with America. It makes no secret of seeking our destruction using pre-kinetic “unrestricted warfare,” notably including predatory trade. 

President Trump is right to apply high tariffs to accelerate our needed economic disengagement from such a foe and its weaponized supply chains. He must also enforce his “America First Investment Policy” and prevent Wall Street from further underwriting our mortal enemy, the Chinese Communist Party. 

This is Frank Gaffney.