China is in the target for U.S. President Donald Trump's latest effort to rewrite the rules of international trade in line with the doctrine of "America First." Protecting America's intellectual property -- its patents, trademarks and copyrights -- is the specific objective.
Writing in the Financial Times, the U.S. Commerce Secretary Wilbur Ross declared that "American genius is under attack from China." This line was backed up by the recent report of the high-level U.S. Commission on the Theft of American Intellectual Property. Reinforcing the point, U.S. Trade Representative Robert Lighthizer has formally launched an investigation into China's alleged theft of U.S. intellectual property.
