Young Encourages POTUS to Call for Maximized Trade Pressure on China at UN
WASHINGTON –Ahead of the 74th session of the United Nations General Assembly (UNGA) in New York this week, U.S. Senator Todd Young (R-Ind.) today sent a letter to President Donald Trump urging him to call on other countries to join the United States in maximizing trade pressure on China.
“Echoing the phrase you coined at Davos in 2018, ‘America first does not mean America alone,’ I ask that you make a call in your UNGA speech for other countries to do their part to elevate the economic pressure against China,” said Senator Young in the letter.
“Protecting U.S. interests is our shared goal and we can do that better by enlisting the help of other countries. The American people support your boldness to stand up to China but are starting to feel the strain of doing so,” Senator Young continued in the letter.“American farmers are feeling the pain, and U.S. businesses are having to change their supply chains, product lines, and pricing in response to the drop in Chinese imports. The negative impacts on American consumers, business owners, and our economy can be lessened if other countries follow your lead. Each country will benefit from corrections to the unfair practices emanating from China so each must do its part so that the United States is not left holding the bill at the end.”
The full text of the letter can be viewed here and below:
September 23, 2019
President Donald J. Trump
The White House
1600 Pennsylvania Avenue NW
Washington, D.C. 20500
Dear President Trump:
As the world tunes in to hear your speech at the start of the 74th session of the United Nations General Assembly (UNGA) in New York on Tuesday September 24, it will be a unique opportunity to enumerate the U.S. priorities for the next year. While there are many topics that you will surely cover in that important speech, I urge you to pay special attention to China and the trade imbalance that currently defines the relationship. I support your goal of sending a strong message that the United States will not stand idle while China takes advantage of an unfair trade relationship. However, it is time to enlist the help of other countries in maximizing the trade pressure on China.
Echoing the phrase you coined at Davos in 2018, “America first does not mean America alone,” I ask that you make a call in your UNGA speech for other countries to do their part to elevate the economic pressure against China. In doing so, you will send an even stronger message to China that they must take our demands seriously while also opening the door for other countries to step forward and do their part. If China corrects its trade policies, all of its trading partners stand to benefit. At present, the United States is doing the heavy lifting of applying the pressure to help make those needed changes a reality. All of China’s trading partners also need to do their part.
Protecting U.S. interests is our shared goal and we can do that better by enlisting the help of other countries. The American people support your boldness to stand up to China but are starting to feel the strain of doing so. American farmers are feeling the pain, and U.S. businesses are having to change their supply chains, product lines, and pricing in response to the drop in Chinese imports. The negative impacts on American consumers, business owners, and our economy can be lessened if other countries follow your lead. Each country will benefit from corrections to the unfair practices emanating from China so each must do its part so that the United States is not left holding the bill at the end.
I look forward to your address at UNGA and hope that you will consider including this critical message. As the second of nearly two hundred world leaders to speak at UNGA, your speech will set the tone early in the week and have a positive ripple in the following speeches. I encourage you to take full advantage of this unique opportunity and I look forward to echoing your message to our friends at home and abroad.
Sincerely,