President Trump has signed two memorandums aimed at protecting U.S. tech giants operating overseas and restricting foreign investment in the United States.

The two directives reflect Mr. Trump’s broader trade strategy of protectionism through aggressive use of tariffs and curbing foreign investment to safeguard American companies’ intellectual property. Both directives were signed Friday night.

One memorandum imposes tariffs on companies that levy digital taxes and U.S. technology companies. It also directs the Office of the U.S. Trade Representative to resume investigations into other countries’ use of digital service taxes that cost American companies billions of dollars.

Digital service taxes are fees levied against American tech giants such as Apple, Google, Meta and Amazon. Foreign nations tax digital goods such as software, music video games and other electronic files by U.S. companies that are downloaded from the internet within their borders.

Mr. Trump said earlier this month that he would impose tariffs on Canada and France, which each collect more than $500 million annually from U.S. companies, over digital service taxes. A White House fact sheet said that “only America should be allowed to tax American firms.”

Britain, France, Italy, Spain, Canada, Turkey, India and Austria are among the nations that have imposed digital taxes on American companies.

The second memorandum restricts Chinese investment in critical sectors including farming, food supplies, minerals, natural resources, shipping ports and technologies used to protect national security.

Although the order doesn’t mention China specifically, it is clearly aimed at curbing Beijing’s efforts to pilfer U.S. capital, technology and knowledge.

The order directs the Committee on Foreign Investment in the United States to establish new rules to limit China’s efforts to pilfer U.S. intellectual property. It also requires CFIUS to consider new or expanded restrictions on U.S. outbound investments to China.

Under the order, Chinese investment will be restricted in “the crown jewels” of the United States — technology, food supplies, farmland, minerals, natural resources, ports and shipping terminals.

“Economic security is national security,” the memorandum states.

• Jeff Mordock can be reached at jmordock@washingtontimes.com.