Aug. 14 (UPI) — President Donald Trump on Monday is scheduled to sign a memorandum launching an investigation into China’s intellectual property practices.
The president is scheduled to sign the memo at 3 p.m. EDT at the White House, where he returned Monday afternoon in the middle of his 17-day vacation.
The action will allow the Trump administration to impose trade restrictions on China, which is accused of stealing intellectual property from the United States.
Trump will likely order U.S. Trade Representative Robert Lighthizer to investigate the country’s practices.
Trump previously has spoken out against what he believes are lopsided trade agreements with China. But last week, he indicated he could lighten up on his stance on China’s trade practices if Beijing helps with the North Korean threat.
“We lose hundreds of billions of dollars a year on trade with China. They know how I feel. It’s not going to continue like that,” Trump said. “But if China helps us, I feel a lot differently toward trade — a lot differently toward trade.”
