The Hill - Trump Details his Plan to Confront China's "Financial Blackmail'

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By Mark Hensch

Donald Trump on Tuesday released a policy paper detailing how he would fight back against the "financial blackmail" of China if elected president.

In the paper, the Republican presidential candidate listed four steps for taking on China's "communist dictatorship," with a heavy emphasis on getting America a better deal.

"The most important component of our China policy is leadership and strength at the negotiating table," the paper said. "We have been too afraid to protect and advance American interests and challenge China to live up to its obligations.

"We need smart negotiators who will serve the interests of American workers -- not Wall Street insiders that want to move U.S. manufacturing and investment offshore," he added.

Trump vowed that on day one of his administration, he would declare China a currency manipulator -- a controversial policy step that has been fiercely debated for years in Washington, but rejected by several administrations.

"With Donald J. Trump as president, China will be on notice that America is back in the global leadership business and that their days of currency manipulation and cheating are over," the paper says.

Trump also calls for protecting America's intellectual property and forcing China to adhere to global trading standards.

"We will enforce stronger protections against Chinese hackers and counterfeit goods and our responses to Chinese theft will be swift, robust and unequivocal.

"China's woeful lack of reasonable environmental and labor standards represent yet another form of unacceptable export subsidy. We will challenge China to join the 21st Century when it comes to such standards.

Trump has upended the race for the Republican presidential nomination with his celebrity and wealth, generating a grassroots following that has kept him near the top of the polls.

Critics have argued that the business mogul's success masks his lack of substantive policy knowledge.

The candidate has pushed back on that criticism by periodically releasing policy papers. He has previously released strategies for improving the Department of Veterans Affairs, tax reform, Second Amendment rights and immigration reform.

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