Business Insider GOP primary debate: on Free Trade

Bill Weld: Rejoin TPP in a heartbeat: beachhead against China

Bill Weld: Oh I absolutely would rejoin, would join TPP in a heartbeat. I point out that during the campaign candidate Trump said no we can't join the Trans-Pacific Partnership because it would be dominated by China. He's so incurious and so ignorant about foreign affairs that he didn't know that China is not a member of TPP. The whole idea was that we would have a consortium of 12 Pacific Navy facing nations some in Asia some in the Americas without China at the table. So it would be our beachhead in Asia. I think the relationship with China. Has to be a complex one. We're the two biggest players out there. Xi Jinping I had high hopes for when he came, in but he really has resubsidized all those SOEs, the state owned enterprises, and we're getting our brains beat in around the world and on intellectual property they are complete scofflaws. So you've got to be tough and I think we'll probably return to this.

Joe Walsh: China cheats world, so deal with them with world coalition

Joe Walsh: China cheats but they don't just cheat against us. They cheat against the whole world. And they've been doing it for a long time. So in comes Trump, and throws down tariffs against everybody and he goes at China all by himself. And so who pays the price? We do: our farmers, small business, and American consumers. The mistake Trump made, is he put us out there on an island all by ourselves. Instead of rallying the whole world--getting us back in the Trans-Pacific Partnership, where we could have a coalition of countries that could deal with China--he's done it all by himself. And America has paid a big, big price for that. You got to bring the world together to fight China.

Joe Walsh: Supports a free trade system; opposes tariffs on China

On trade:
• Walsh supports a free trade system and came out strongly against Trump's trade war with China and his decision to raise tariffs.
• Walsh has also said Trump is "clueless" on trade.
• At Business Insider's Republican debate, Walsh blasted Trump's trade war and tariffs on China as damaging to the American economy.
• He also vowed to undo the tariffs if he were elected.