Trump Directs US Trade Rep Lighthizer to Examine China Practices to Curb US IP Theft

President Donald Trump said he's directing U.S. Trade Representative Robert Lighthizer to examine China's actions, policies and practices on theft of U.S. IP and the "forced transfers of American technology." At a Monday event where the president signed a memorandum to that effect, Trump said Washington hasn't done anything about this and it won't "turn a blind eye" any longer. "We will stand up to any country that unlawfully forces American companies to transfer their valuable technology as a condition of market access," he said. The U.S. will fight counterfeit and pirated goods and services and protect copyrights, patents, trademarks, trade secrets and American jobs, he added. Among those in attendance were Commerce Secretary Wilbur Ross and House IP Subcommittee Chairman Darrell Issa, R-Calif. China should take the Trump administration's assessment seriously and improve the trade relationship, said Information Technology Industry Council CEO Dean Garfield in a statement. He said both the U.S. and China should address the issues in the months before the November Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation Economic Leaders’ Meeting in Vietnam.