[Congressional Record Volume 163, Number 106 (Wednesday, June 21, 2017)]
[Senate]
[Page S3659]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                         CHINA AND NORTH KOREA

  Mr. SCHUMER. Madam President, finally, a word on China and North 
Korea.
  Yesterday, the President tweeted: ``While I greatly appreciate the 
efforts of President Xi and China to help with North Korea, it has not 
worked out. At least I know China tried!''
  We will wait to see if this tweet actually signals a shift in U.S. 
policy--you never know with these tweets--but no doubt it is a 
confession that the President's conciliatory approach toward China has 
failed.
  Just months after he was elected, President Trump said he was willing 
to offer a better trade deal if China worked with us on North Korea--
going back on years of campaign rhetoric about getting tough on trade 
with China, which is something I have fully supported and opposed, 
frankly, both President Bush and President Obama for being too weak on 
trade with China. When I heard that President Trump, during the 
campaign, was going to be tough on China, I was glad. I thought this 
was an area in which we could work together.
  Yet the minute he sits down with Xi, Xi sort of wins him over, and he 
says: Well, we will get something out of North Korea.
  I told the President on the telephone that China will not back off 
and help us with North Korea unless they feel the sting of economic 
sanctions for their illicit, unfair trade practices which have robbed 
millions of American jobs.
  The idea that China would suddenly start to cooperate with the United 
States after President Trump dropped his threats to get tough on China 
was always unrealistic and misguided. China has been unwilling to 
cooperate with the United States in the economic or foreign policy 
spheres for decades. China puts itself first. That is what it is doing 
now.
  Let's not forget that millions of American workers have been hurt by 
China's rapacious trading practices over the decades. Selling out those 
American workers and simply hoping that China, out of its good graces, 
would start working with us on North Korea never made sense.
  The best approach to dealing with China is to be clear and consistent 
and tough about America's foreign policy and economic interests. 
President Trump, rather than going soft on trade with China, should get 
tough on trade with China. That is the best way to get China to work 
with us on North Korea, and it is the right thing to do for the 
American worker.
  I have some hope that President Trump's tweet yesterday means he has 
come to this realization and will work with us to get tough on China on 
trade.
  I yield the floor.

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