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Senator Portman Expresses Reservations about China Trade Policy

Senator Rob Portman of Cincinnati
STATEHOUSE NEWS BUREAU
Senator Rob Portman of Cincinnati

Ohio Senator Rob Portman gave his thoughts Tuesday on the rising trade tensions between the U.S. and China. Portman said he supports being tough on China, citing reports of intellectual property theft, government subsidies and trade imbalances, but he does have some reservations.

“Where I have concerns is that the escalation of tariffs without an agreement, you know will hurt our economy, and jobs, and wages, and everything else, but I think we need to try to use tariffs just as a tactic to get to an agreement, and not as an endgame.”

Portman urged caution when raising tariffs, but he hoped that continued pressure on China will produce a sensible agreement. Portman said the reduction or elimination of tariffs should be the ultimate solution.

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Nathan joined WKSU as an intern in May 2019. Nathan is a broadcast journalism student at Kent State. He’s previously been a correspondent for TV2 as well as a crew member of Teleproductions. His interests include entertainment and culture.
David Williams is an intern at WKSU for summer 2019. A junior at Kent State, Williams is pursuing a bachelor’s degree in multimedia journalism. Williams has reported for The Kent Stater, the university’s student-run newspaper, since spring 2018. His interests include history and politics.