Chinese foreign minister Wang Yi's arrival in Washington, D.C. presents an opportunity to address interests vital to the United States.  In an era where the Communist China threat looms large, it's imperative for the United States to address the Chinese threat to our manufacturing sector.

One pressing issue is the pollution generated by the production of goods, a significant portion of which comes from manufacturing in China. To tackle this problem, some have proposed (and many have endorsed) imposing a pollution fee on products China imports into the U.S. While it may initially appear punitive, this measure is not only reasonable but also the solution needed to protect the competitiveness of U.S. manufacturers and the Americans they employ.

China has rapidly emerged as the world's factory floor, producing a vast array of products that end up in households around the globe. This economic growth has undoubtedly brought immense prosperity to the nation due to this regime’s tendency to steal intellectual property from American manufacturers and others. Cheap Chinese products exact a heavy toll on the environment as their factories have significantly lower environmental standards than those in America -- and their products create three times more pollution than the same American-made products. The pollution generated in the process of making these poor-quality products doesn't stay confined within China's borders; it spreads globally.

A pollution fee on dirty products imported from China is not an act of economic warfare; rather, it's a strategic measure to protect our U.S. manufacturers and their employees. This fee would hold China accountable for its significant contributions to global pollution and incentivize the adoption of cleaner production methods that are being employed in the U.S. 

Charging China a foreign pollution fee is a sensible step toward creating a more level playing field for cleaner U.S. manufacturers and workers. A pollution fee on Chinese goods and other big polluting manufacturing countries is a market approach to dealing with pollution. American products are highly disadvantaged against the cheap, dirty Communist Chinese products flooding the world economy -- a foreign pollution fee is the needed solution. 

Saul Anuzis is the President of the 60 Plus Association. 

Image: Kentaro IEMOTO