Kirk Brown | The Greenville News

Kirk Brown, Anderson Independent Mail

Citing the risk of intellectual property theft, U.S. Sen. Lindsey Graham has warned BMW and Boeing to think twice before they build manufacturing plants in China.

“To my friends at BMW, when it comes to China — pay now or pay later,” Graham said Wednesday while speaking to reporters before he addressed the Rotary Cub of Seneca. “If you open up a plant in China, it won’t be long before there is a Chinese car that looks exactly like the X5.

“If you’re Boeing and you want to make jets in China to sell to the Chinese, it won’t be long before you see a 787 knock-off... When you go to China, they require you to get a Chinese business partner. And your intellectual property eventually gets stolen.”

BMW, which has a production plant in Greer, stopped shipping American-made X3s to China last year and moved production to plants in South Africa and China. Last fall BMW also took on majority control of a plant it had previously co-owned with a Chinese partner.

Graham's comments came on the same day that German-based BMW announced that its profits in 2019 would be “well below” last year, according to the Associated Press. The company blamed the drop on higher raw-materials prices, the costs of compliance with tougher emissions requirements and unfavorable shifts in currency exchange rates.

{{props.notification}} {{props.tag}} {{props.expression}} {{props.linkSubscribe.text}} {{#modules.acquisition.inline}}{{/modules.acquisition.inline}} ... Our reporting. Your stories. Get unlimited digital access to exclusive content. Subscribe Now

BMW also faces increased uncertainty due to international trade conflicts that could lead to higher tariffs.

Graham, a Republican from Seneca, praised President Donald Trump for imposing tariffs on Chinese imports.

“Everybody has been complaining about China, but Trump finally did something about it," Graham said. “The tariffs are a tool. I don’t know how you get China to change their behavior without it experiencing some pain.The Chinese economy has been reduced by 38 percent. The tariffs are hurting China.”

Graham said he is optimistic that ongoing talks will lead to a new trade deal with China.

“I am hoping in a few weeks this comes to an end," he said. "And how does it end? China stops cheating."

Lindsey Graham discuss Trump's tweets about John McCain

Graham also touched on a number of other topics during his remarks to reporters and in his speech to the Rotary Club, including a series of tweets by Trump last weekend criticizing the late Sen. John McCain, his upcoming re-election campaign and efforts to keep guns from dangerous individuals.

Kirk Brown/Greenville News

Trump posted tweets over the weekend criticizing McCain for handing over an opposition-research dossier to the FBI after the 2016 election and for voting not to repeal key aspects of the Affordable Care Act in 2017. During an appearance Tuesday with Brazilian President Jair Bolsonaro, Trump told reporters that he “was never a fan of John McCain and I never will be.”

Graham was a close friend of McCain, who died of brain cancer in August.

“There is no one I admire more than John McCain," Graham said Wednesday. “I love John McCain.”

Kirk Brown, Anderson Independent Mail

“He is an American hero and nothing will ever diminish that. I think the president’s comments about Senator McCain hurt him more than they hurt the legacy of Senator McCain," he said.

Graham said he has a good working relationship with Trump and that he will meet with the president this weekend to discuss a host of issues, including building support for a bipartisan infrastructure bill.

“I like him," Graham said. "I don’t like it when says things about my friend John McCain.”

Lindsey Graham discusses early timing of his re-election campaign

Graham also talked about the timing of his re-election campaign. He will launch his effort to win a fourth term on March 30, when he attends events with Vice President Mike Pence in Myrtle Beach and Greenville. The kickoff comes 14 months before the June 2020 Republican primary.

Graham said his approach is enter the race "early and stay late."

He said has known Pence for a "very long time" and that they traveled "all over the world" when Pence was serving in the U.S. House of Representatives.

"He’s done a great job as vice president," Graham said. "We are going to get started with a bang here."

Lindsey Graham says he wants to take guns from dangerous people

State Rep. Jonathon Hill, a Republican from Townville, on Wednesday announced that he and National Association for Gun Rights President Dudley Brown will hold a news conference Monday in Greenville to voice their opposition to "red flag" gun laws that Graham supports.

"The so-called 'Extreme Risk Protection Order' is an egregious violation of your right to self-defense and your right to due process, both of which are protected in the United States Constitution!" Hill stated in a post on Facebook.

Graham said he wants to provide grant money to states that pass laws aimed at temporarily seizing guns from people who are shown to be dangerous.

"I think one of the common themes of all these shootings is that the people who wind up using a gun to kill people have shown signs of unstable behavior. A bunch of states are now passing laws that would allow local law enforcement to go to court and petition the court to have this person who is showing signs of danger to themselves or others to be dealt with, to temporarily take their guns, but more than anything else to get them treatment," said Graham, adding that gun owners would receive "plenty of due process" and that the burden of proof would be on the government.