Trump to Wait on China Intellectual Property Probe

President Donald Trump plans to wait at least a week and possibly longer on moving forward with a trade investigation of China on intellectual property violations after the country backed UN Security Council sanctions on North Korea, an administration official said.

Trump and his advisers remain concerned over what the U.S. perceives as Chinese violations of intellectual property and the plan for a trade investigation is still under consideration, the official said. But the White House wants to encourage and reward China’s cooperation on North Korea and is balancing national security concerns against domestic economic considerations, the official said.

He is likely to wait at least until the end of his working vacation in Bedminster, New Jersey, in late August before taking any further steps on an investigation, the official said.

The UN Security Council on Saturday unanimously approved measures to restrict North Korea’s exports of coal, iron, lead and seafood. The Trump administration has threatened military action if necessary to stop North Korea from obtaining an intercontinental ballistic missile that can strike the U.S. with a nuclear weapon.

China, which holds a veto on the security council and is North Korea’s biggest ally and trade partner, backed the sanctions in a bid to spur dialogue. It has urged North Korea to halt future ballistic missile and nuclear tests, while also calling on the U.S. and South Korea to cease military exercises.

The administration has been considering having the U.S. Trade Representative’s office open an investigation of China’s treatment of intellectual property under the authority of section 301 of the Trade Act of 1974, which allows the president to impose tariffs on foreign products or discriminatory restrictions on American commerce.

The investigation would focus on allegations that China has violated U.S. intellectual property amid growing concern that it’s trying to become a world leader in technologies such as microchips and electric cars. 

In a report to lawmakers last month, the USTR accused China of engaging in “widespread infringing activity, including trade secret theft, rampant online piracy and counterfeiting, and high levels of physical pirated and counterfeit exports to markets around the globe.”

source:https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2017-08-08/trump-is-said-to-wait-on-china-intellectual-property-probe