In an initiative to punish China for persistent intellectual property theft and bolster the American economy through job creation, President Donald Trump is prepared to impose $60 billion per year in tariffs against over 100 Chinese products. Last August, President Trump ordered an investigation by the United States Trade Office into China’s improper transfer of American technologies to Chinese companies. It has been estimated that intellectual property theft costs America upwards of $600 billion a year and China accounts for most of this loss. This theft not only harms economic growth but also costs Americans jobs, weakens our military capability, and undercuts innovation. Chinese IP theft has affected virtually every sector of the American economy including automobiles, chemicals, consumer electronics, pharmaceuticals. and biotechnology. This covers a wide array of activities including counterfeiting of American fashion designs, pirating movies and games, and stealing proprietary software. Of particular concern is China’s targeting of America’s defense system in which Chinese spies have gone after the United States’ most powerful weapons. Those in opposition to the President’s Section 301 tariffs cite the fact that, in 2017, China was the U.S.’s largest trading partner in goods with exportation to China equating to roughly $130 billion and importation from China representing nearly four times this amount. If implemented, this tariff package would constitute the broadest set of punitive economic actions imposed by a modern U.S. President against China. Consistent with his “America First” campaign, President Trump’s plan will likely either lead to an all-out trade war or finally even the trade playing field for the U.S. #omnilegalgroup #intellectualproperty #POTUS #China