President Donald Trump has forcefully confronted the People’s Republic of China over its militaristic aggression, its collaboration with our enemies, and its corrupt trade practices and theft of intellectual property (IP) – something none of his predecessors since President Ronald Reagan was willing to do.

But the president’s stand against IP theft and his efforts to allow for more U.S. exports are being sabotaged not by the Communist Party of China, but by members of this own administration. And so far, their schemes have been successful.

The American people need to be aware of this; the president and his team need to stop it.

NEWT GINGRICH: AMERICA IN RACE AGAINST CHINA - AND THE CLOCK - TO CONTROL FUTURE OF TECH

This betrayal comes in the midst of a global contest for 5G, the latest and most sophisticated form of broadband. The contestants are the free nations of the world on one side, and communist China on the other. The outcome will impact the liberty and privacy of every person on earth.

President Trump has assembled a team of highly capable advisors who share his vision. They are working relentlessly to bring it to fruition – Mike Pompeo at the Department of State, John Bolton heading the National Security Council, Robert Lighthizer leading the Office of the U.S. Trade Representative.

Their respective agencies, however, do not determine U.S. policy relating to who will eventually win the tech battle for control of every aspect of our lives. The federal agency that has amassed that power is the Federal Trade Commission (FTC), and it has, improbably, aligned with China in the battle for 5G dominance.

Truth be told, it’s not Trump’s team pursuing this policy, but rather a zombie version of President Barack Obama’s administration animated by its hostility towards intellectual property rights and the idea of American exceptionalism.

In the waning days of his term, Obama’s handpicked chairman of the FTC filed suit against Qualcomm, America’s leading company in 5G technology, because the FTC thought that Qualcomm was charging Huawei, Apple and other tech companies that do their manufacturing in China too much for computer chips.

Of course, those tech companies would rather pay less than the $10 per device that Qualcomm charges for its cellular technology and pocket the difference (as if the profit margin on a $1,000 Apple mobile device isn’t high enough). And since the wizards of Apple and their ilk were tied to the previous president’s hip, the Obama administration was more than happy to accommodate their bidding.

No car we drive, no home we live in, no appliance we use, no computer or cellphone we own, no technology we possess will not be controlled by the Chinese Communist Party.

But sweetening deals for the former president’s favored tech companies comes at the expense of America’s national security.

After President Trump assumed office and appointed three Republicans out of the FTC’s five commissioners, it appeared that this attack on freedom might be reversed. But the president’s newly-appointed chairman of the FTC, Joe Simons, has only furthered the Obama administration’s plans to gift 5G dominance to China.

Shortly after being confirmed by the U.S. Senate, Simons recused himself from the Qualcomm case, leaving the balance of power among FTC commissioners tied at two Republicans to two Democrats. Since it takes a majority vote to change direction at the FTC, the previous administration’s scheme marches on.

As for the litigation itself, it was filed in San Francisco – 2,800 miles away from the FTC headquarters and an easy bicycle ride from Apple. In the same week that the Huawei chief financial officer was arrested for colluding with Iran in contravention of U.S. law, the FTC called as its first witness … you guessed it … Huawei – the tip of China’s spear to control 5G worldwide.

Qualcomm has been cornered. And the cost of a ruling against the company will be enormous. It will mean America relinquishing its standing as the leader in 5G technology. It will hand China dominion over the most sensitive technology since the creation of the atomic bomb. It will soon mean the loss of freedom for every American.

No car we drive, no home we live in, no appliance we use, no computer or cellphone we own, no technology we possess will not be controlled by the Chinese Communist Party.

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Time is running out. President Trump and his advisors must stab this posthumous policy of the Obama agenda in the heart.

When it comes to the security, safety and prosperity of the nation, the president and his team are fighting to put America first. But their efforts will fall short if the FTC case cedes 5G leadership to China. The FTC needs to chart a new path.