Shark Tank investor Kevin O’Leary proposed even more tariffs on China, accusing the country of stealing intellectual property.

The Trump and Harris campaigns are disputing each other’s policies regarding tariffs on China. Former President Donald Trump has proposed a tariff as high as 20%, which the Harris campaign refers to as a “sales tax.” However, the Biden administration has raised its own tariffs against China, specifically in the auto industry, as recently as last month.

“I want to go to DEFCON 19 against China,” O’Leary said on Sunday Night in America With Trey Gowdy. “I don’t like tariffs against anybody else, but I want to bring them to their knees with a blowtorch to deal with us fairly, and that’s why you use tariffs.”

“You squeeze them because the Chinese only understand the stick. I’ve said it countless times they understand the stick, they respect the stick, give them the stick,” O’Leary said. “I want heavy, heavy, heavy tariffs on China, more than we have. Even more. Because I live with it. They steal our IP. I can’t say enough negative stuff. I’m sorry, I’m just telling the truth.”

CLICK HERE TO READ MORE FROM THE WASHINGTON EXAMINER

The Canadian investor has become increasingly political as the world of politics has recently collided with business. He started his own venture capital firm, O’Leary Ventures, last year, over 15 years after his first appearance on Shark Tank, where he spends episodes deciding what small businesses to invest in. Many of these businesses rely on patented products, which Chinese actors try to counterfeit.

In addition to the recent tariffs, the Biden administration banned imports from Changzhou Guanghui Food Ingredients and Baowu Group Xinjiang Bayi Iron and Steel over allegations of forced labor. Allegedly, both companies were not abiding by Biden’s Uyghur Forced Labor Prevention Act Entity List, which went into effect in June 2022.