President Donald Trump's high-stakes meeting with Chinese President Xi Jinping in South Korea underscores the United States' renewed leverage in trade and national security, Rep. Michael Turner, R-Ohio, told Newsmax on Wednesday.
Turner told "American Agenda" the meeting reflects Trump's "power of the presidency" to compel China to act responsibly, both economically and in curbing the flow of fentanyl into the U.S.
"This certainly is very important," Turner said. "It's great that the president has been meeting with our allies in Japan and South Korea, working for trade deals. ... His goal here is trade deals that impact the American economy that are in favor of the American economy."
Turner said Trump's strategy of using tariffs and economic pressure has shifted the global dynamic, noting that earlier critics "weren't really understanding what he was doing." Now, he added, the administration's approach has forced China to the negotiating table.
"China is an economy that has taken advantage of us, and certainly in the areas of fentanyl, that is an area where they have put our American families at risk," Turner said. "He's using the power of the presidency to bring Xi to the table and hopefully to get positive trade deals but also use that power so that Xi has to use his presidency to protect the American public."
The Trump-Xi meeting, taking place during the president's Asia trip that included summits in Tokyo and Seoul, is expected to address trade imbalances, intellectual property protections, and China's role in the production of fentanyl, the deadly synthetic opioid that has fueled an overdose epidemic in the U.S.
Turner, a member of the House Armed Services and Oversight committees, said the meeting demonstrates Trump's focus on using U.S. economic strength "to achieve security and prosperity for American families."
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