Kevin O’Leary’s tough talk on tariffs and China

Kevin O’Leary: "The 104% tariffs on China are not enough. I’m advocating for 400%. I do business in China. They don’t play by the rules. They’ve been in the WTO for decades and have never followed a single rule they agreed to when they joined. They cheat, they steal, they steal intellectual property. I can’t litigate in their courts. They take products, technology, steal it, manufacture it, and sell it here.

I want Xi to get on a plane and go to Washington to level the playing field. This is no longer about tariffs. No one has stood up to China yet—not the Europeans, not any U.S. administration for decades. As someone who actually does business there, I’ve had enough. I speak for millions of Americans who have had their intellectual property stolen by the Chinese.

I have nothing against the Chinese people. The government cheats and steals, and finally, one administration—maybe you don’t like Trump, maybe you don’t like his style or his rhetoric—but finally, one administration stands firm and says, “Enough.” America is the number one economy on Earth with all the leverage. We won’t have that forever. It’s time to press the Chinese against the wall now. So when it comes to tariff policy, this is the way forward."

Kevin O'Leary, businessman and television personality known for his role on "Shark Tank," has recently advocated for imposing 400% tariffs on products imported from China. O'Leary argues that the current tariffs, such as the 104% implemented by the Trump administration, are insufficient to address China’s unfair trade practices.

He accuses the Asian country of failing to comply with World Trade Organization rules and engaging in intellectual property theft, which he says harms American entrepreneurs. O'Leary emphasizes the need to create a level playing field for U.S. businesses and believes that higher tariffs could pressure China into negotiating more fairly.