When asked if it is possible for the U.S. to engage in free trade with a communist country such as China, Sen. Ted Cruz (R-Tex.) did not answer directly but said the U.S. must stand up against China’s espionage, its military, and its holding hostage of America’s supply chains.

At the Capitol on Tuesday, CNS News asked Sen. Cruz, “The U.S. trade deficit with China in 2021 was more than $300 billion for the tenth year in a row. Can the U.S. have free trade with a Communist country?”

The senator said, “We need a far more serious approach to competing with China. China poses the single greatest geopolitical threat to the United States over the next century. We need to stand up to their espionage, to their military threat, and to their efforts to hold our supply chain hostage.”