President Donald Trump said in Beijing on Thursday he will work to address unfair practices from the Chinese that have led to a mismatch of benefits from U.S.-China trade.
The president was quick to note, however, that he did not blame Beijing for having been able to get away with those practices: "I give China great credit," Trump said on a stage shared with Chinese President Xi Jinping.
"This relationship is something which we are working very hard to make a fair and reciprocal one," Trump said. "Trade between China and the United States has not been — over the last many many years — a very fair one for us."
Trump pointed to the "huge" annual trade deficit his country has with China, which he described as "a number beyond anything what anybody would understand."
"We must immediately address the unfair trade practices that drive this deficit along with barriers to market success: We really have to look at access, forced technology transfer and the theft of intellectual property — which just by itself is costing the United States and its companies at least $300 billion a year."
