THAT YOU NEED, MARIA, BACK TO
YOU.
MARIA: I LOVE THE LIST, CHERYL,
BEST PLACE TO LIVE.
SPACEX IS LAUNCHING FIRST MAN
SHUTTLE, THE CREW DRAGON, THE
FIRST TIME SINCE 2011 THAT
ASTRONAUTS WILL LIFT OFF FROM
AMERICAN SOIL, THE LAUNCH IS
COMING ON THE HEELS OF THE
LATEST INITIATIVE FROM THE
COMMERCE DEPARTMENT TO HELP
IMPROVE THE LICENSING PROCESS
FOR PRIVATE U.S. SATELLITES
FIGHT TO GO PUT THE U.S. IN THE
LEAD OF THE FINAL FRONTIER.
JOINING ME RIGHT NOW COMMERCE
SECRETARY WILBUR ROSS,
MR. SECRETARY, GOOD TO HAVE YOU
THIS MORNING, THANK YOU VERY
MUCH FOR JOINING ME.
>> GOOD TO BE ON, MARIA.
MARIA: THIS WAS AN EXCITING DAY.
TELL ME WHY THE U.S. WANTS TO BE
FRONT AND CENTER IN SPACE TRAVEL
AND WHAT WE WILL SEE TODAY?
>> SECRETARY: WELL, WHAT HAS
HAPPENED IN CONTRAST TO 2011
WHEN PRESIDENT OBAMA TOOK US OUT
OF THE SPACE LAUNCH BUSINESS
THAT ENDED OUR LEADERSHIP IN
SPACE LAUNCH.
NOW WE ARE GOING TO GET IT BACK.
THIS IS THE FIRST TIME SINCE
THEN THAT AMERICAN ROCKETS,
AMERICAN ASTRONAUTS TO THE
AMERICAN SPACE STATION AND
THAT’S REALLY IMPORTANT.
WE WERE PAYING THE RUSSIANS UP
TO $86 MILLION PER SEAT TO TAKE
OUR ASTRONAUTS TO OUR SPACE
STATION.
THAT’S NOW OVER WITH AND IT’S
IMPORTANT BOTH COMMERCIALLY AND
MILITARILY.
YOU KNOW THE PRESIDENT HAS STOOD
DOWN THE SPACE FORCE WHICH IS A
WHOLE NEW BRANCH OF THE MILITARY
BECAUSE SPACE WILL BE THE NEW
WAR FIGHTING DOMAIN, BUT THE
COMMERCIAL SIDE IS VERY, VERY
IMPORTANT.
IT’S BRINGING THE COST OF
EVERYTHING DOWN AND THAT’S
WHAT’S GOING TO FACILITATE SPACE
TOURISM, SPACE MANUFACTURING,
SPACE HABITATION, SPACE MINING,
A WHOLE BUNCH OF NEW ACTIVITIES
AND THAT WILL TAKE THE INDUSTRY
FROM ITS CURRENT
400 BILLION-DOLLAR TOTAL TO OVER
A TRILLION DOLLARS SO THIS IS A
VERY, VERY BIG DEAL AND IT’S
GOING TO HAPPEN HOPEFULLY
PRECISELY AT 4:33 P.M. THIS
AFTERNOON FROM THE FAMOUS LAUNCH
PAD 39A AT THE KENNEDY SPACE
STATION AT CAPE CANAVERAL.
MARIA: IT’S VERY EXCITING AND WE
WILL TAKE IT LIVE, WILBUR, AND
WE LOOK FORWARD TO THAT.
LET ME SWITCH GEARS ABOUT CHINA
AND THE TENSIONS RISING IN HONG
KONG, RIOTING POLICE FIRING
TEARGAS AT DEMONSTRATORS,
CRIMINALIZING DISRESPECT OF
CHINESE NATIONAL ANTHEM AND
AGAINST PLANS OF BEIJING TO
IMPOSE NATIONAL SECURITY LAWS.
PRESIDENT TRUMP SAYS SHOULD THE
LAWS GO THROUGH, THEY WOULD BE A
RESPONSE IN, QUOTE, THE NEXT
COUPLE OF DAYS, WHAT KIND OF A
RESPONSE MIGHT WE EXPECT,
SECRETARY?
>> SECRETARY: WELL, I DON’T
THINK WE SHOULD GET OUT AHEAD OF
THE PRESIDENT.
THIS IS A VERY COMPLEX
SITUATION.
OUR HEARTS GO OUT TO THE
INDIVIDUAL CIVILIANS IN HONG
KONG.
WE ARE WITH THEM BUT THE
PRESIDENT WILL HAVE TO DECIDE
EXACTLY WHAT IS THE APPROPRIATE
RESPONSE TO IT AND AS YOU
INDICATED, HE HAS SAID THAT HE
WILL DO THAT WITHIN THE NEXT
VERY, VERY FEW DAYS.
MARIA: YEAH, BECAUSE I MEAN YOU
HAVE TO DISTINGUISH BETWEEN THE
CHINESE COMMUNIST PARTY AND
CHINESE PEOPLE AND DOES IT MAKE
SENSE TO TARGET SPECIFIC CCP
WITH SANCTIONS ON CHINESE
OFFICIALS?
>> SECRETARY: WELL, THERE’S A
WHOLE MENU OF POTENTIAL THINGS
THAT HE COULD DO AND I’M SURE
THEY ARE WORKING RIGHT NOW ON
EXACTLY HOW TO REFINE THE
THINKING AND COME UP SOMETHING
THAT’S AN APPROPRIATE RESPONSE.
MARIA: I SEE.
WILBUR, LET ME ASK YOU, THE LAST
TIME YOU JOINED US THERE WAS
BREAKING NEWS ON HAUWEI, THE
U.S. MOVED TO CUT OFF CHIP
SUPPLIES FROM HAUWEI FROM GLOBAL
CHIP MAKERS, WHAT HAS BEEN THE
IMPACT?
>> SECRETARY: WELL, YOU HAVE
SEEN HAUWEI MAKE SOME VERY BIG
COMPLAINTS ABOUT IT BUT AT
AROUND THE SAME TIME ALTHOUGH IT
WAS NOT PARTICULARLY RELATED,
TAIWAN SEMICONDUCTOR
MANUFACTURING ANNOUNCED THAT
THEY HAVE PLANS TO BUILD THEIR
NEW CUTTING EDGE CHIP FACTORY THAT CAN MAKE THE TINNIEST CHIPS
THAT CAN MAKE THE TINNIEST CHIPS
OF ANY IN THE WORLD NAMELY
5-NANOMETER IN ARIZONA.
THAT’S A HUGE BREAKTHROUGH.
HERE BEFORE THEY’VE ONLY HAD
SMALL FACILITIES IN WASHINGTON
AND TEXAS AND ELSEWHERE, BUT
THIS WOULD BE A BIG DEAL IF
SOMETHING LIKE A
13 BILLION-DOLLAR PROJECT AND WE
BELIEVE THAT IT WILL LEAD TO
MORE FABS BEING BUILT, FABS IS
THE OPERATION THAT MAKES THE
SEMICONDUCTOR CHIP, SO THIS IS A
SERIES OF VERY POWERFUL THINGS
AND IN ADDITION WE MORE RECENTLY
PUT 33 MORE CHINESE ENTITIES ON
OUR SO-CALLED ENTITY LIST.
THAT WAS MAINLY FOR HUMAN RIGHTS
VIOLATIONS RELATING TO THE
UIGHURS A CHINESE POPULATION AND
THAT WAS A RESPONSE TO THAT
SITUATION.
MARIA: I SUSPECT THE RESPONSE
FROM THE HIGH KNOWS COMMUNIST
PARTY IS THEY ARE NOT GOING TO
FOLLOW THROUGH AND BUY
$250 BILLION IN COMMODITIES, IS
THAT WHAT YOU EXPECT?
>> SECRETARY: OH, I THINK WE
SHOULDN’T PREJUDGE EITHER WHAT
THE PRESIDENT WILL DO OR WHAT
THE CHINESE MIGHT DO IN
RESPONSE.
THIS IS A VERY DELICATE
SITUATION.
A LOT OF THINGS NEED TO BE
BALANCED, BUT MAINLY OUR HEARTS
DO GO OUT TO THE CHINESE
CIVILIANS AND WE HOPE THINGS