When asked if it is possible for the U.S. to engage in free trade with a communist country such as China, Sen. Josh Hawley (R-Mo.) said, “Certainly, the trade that we have with China isn’t free in any real sense.”

At the Capitol on Thursday, CNSNews.com asked Sen. Hawley, “The U.S. trade deficit with China in 2021 was more than $300 billion for the tenth year in a row. Can the United States have free trade with a communist country?”

The senator said, “Oh, good question, good question. Certainly, the trade that we have with China isn’t free in any real sense. First of all, they impose all sorts of duties, tariffs, a lot of things on our goods that we don’t impose on theirs. But one of my big concerns is the Chinese system of slave labor that’s rampant throughout the country.”