Trump campaigned in 2016 on a pledge to get tough on China and other U.S. trading partners. He views the massive U.S. trade deficit with China — $337 billion last year, the biggest with any country — as evidence that Beijing is engaged in abusive trading practices and has outmaneuvered previous U.S. administrations. Last August, Lighthizer began an investigation into Beijing's strong-arm tactics to challenge U.S. technological dominance. These include outright cybertheft of U.S. companies' trade secrets and China's demands that American corporations hand over technology in exchange for access to the Chinese markets. ... (full story)