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Just-elected Republican Congressman Allen West from Florida calls for tougher stance on Chinese trade
Howard Richman, 11/4/2010

Here is the relevant portion of Allen West's radio-show interview with Congressman-elect Allen West:

Michael Savage: I'm calling for tariffs on Chinese goods. Now, strangely enough, the Republican Party, oppose, they oppose tariffs. I have read that many Democrats in the swing districts are actually going to make this a big issue going into 2012. Do you have an opinion on that issue?

...

Congressman-Elect Allen West: Yeah, I absolutely do and I think it's the difference between free trade and fair trade. China is still a Communist country and the trade surplus that they have been able to create and develop because we've given them such favorite trade status is going, not toward the betterment of the lives of the lives of the Chinese citizen, it's going toward their having the world's largest blue water navy, and the critical thing, you're going hear me saying this as a soldier, but the means that you project a nation's power is through the sea and when you think of them having this large navy. You think about them controlling the Panama Canal, the fact that they're all over the world looking for energy resources. They're here in the Caribbean. This is a huge threat. The next thing you know, they will threaten the open sea lanes of commerce.

We have got to understand that your economic strength is part of your national power. And you've got to use trade as a means by which you can strengthen it with your allies and I think that's where free trade comes in, and I think its sad that we don't have those free trade agreements with Colombia or South Korea, but yet we're having this trade, open trade agreement with China. They're just turning it upside down on us. Plus they're owning so much of our debt. So soon they're going to completely own us.

Comment by Larry Snowden, 11/5/2010:

Your title to this article is incorrect.  Congressman-elect Allen West did not call for tarriffs on Chinese goods.  You can read the statement above and you won't find where he called for tarriffs.  Mr. Savage supports tarriffs.  Mr. Savage asked Allen West if he had an opinion on the issue.  Allen West stated that he absolutely did have an opinion and he shared that opinion...but in that opinion that he shared above, there is no statement that he supports tarriffs.

Response to this comment by Howard Richman, 11/6/2010:
You are correct. I did misread the statement!