Peter Navarro said the Trump administration is trying to be "sensitive" to China's mindset amid the ongoing tariff battle given its "100 years of humiliation with the British," but the trade adviser to President Donald Trump told Newsmax on Friday that America's message to China is different: "Stop harming us."
Further, Navarro told "Rob Schmitt Tonight" that China is going to see a parade of 90 countries coming to the White House to get 90 trade deals done in 90 days, the duration of Trump's pause on most new tariffs earlier this week.
China over the past few days has accused Trump of bullying with the implementation of tariffs on imports that have reached 145%.
"We've lost over a million people to them through fentanyl and related drug addictions because of their chemicals. We've lost over 5 million manufacturing jobs and over 60,000 factories to China. So who's bullying who?" Navarro said. "We don't wanna get in a war of words with them. We simply want fairness."
But he added: "I think we have to be sensitive to their mindset. They went through 100 years of humiliation with the British. The British killed them with opium just like they're killing us now with fentanyl. The British took a lot of their land. … So they're, let us say, a little sensitive about this, but what we're doing is not that," Navarro said.
"All America is doing is saying to China, 'stop killing us with your fentanyl.' Stop manipulating the currency, stop dumping into the markets, stop supporting your companies with export subsidies and other government subsidies. Stop the trillion dollars or more of stealing our [intellectual property] and the counterfeiting.
"It's like, all we're doing is saying, 'stop harming us.' We're not trying to assault your integrity, your honor. We're just saying, stop, OK. … We're not going to take that anymore," he added.
And with countries lining up for trade deals, Navarro said China might be willing to talk, too.
"I mean, they're going to watch, I think, as they see 90 countries go through our doors in 90 days trying to get 90 deals," Navarro said, adding, "This president is doing exactly what he said he would do, and he's doing it beautifully. And I think the American people recognize that."
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