President Trump is in a precarious position when it comes to the situation in Hong Kong.

The Hong Kong protests might be one of the most important global issues of our time, and, as the leader of the Free World, people are expecting Trump to make a decision.

Should he stand up and shout from the mountaintops that China should lay off of Hong Kong in their quest for freedom, or should he strike a more middle-of-the-road tone so as not to endanger a potential trade deal with the communist nation?

It is a difficult position for Trump because he made a new trade deal with China one of the top priorities of his administration. Trump’s desire to make a deal with the Chinese predates his time as president; it has always been something he has felt passionately about.

On the other hand, it is important for the president to speak up for those who seek freedom throughout the world.

China continues to silence dissent and violate human rights on a grand scale. The Communist Party has been oppressing Christians, Muslims, and other religious groups, and has tried to erase atrocities like the Tiananmen Massacre from the history books.

Human rights activists in Chinese jurisdictions are subjected to inhumane treatment, including arbitrary detention and unfair imprisonment, and many simply disappear under mysterious circumstances. The government maintains tight control over the internet, mass media, and academia.

As FreedomWire has reported in the past, the situation in Hong Kong began in June when massive crowds gathered in June to protest a new law that would have allowed the Chinese government to extradite Hong Kong citizens to mainland China to answer for alleged crimes.

The protestors feared that the extradition law would be abused by the Chinese government, allowing them to target those who speak out against the Communist regime.

The people of Hong Kong want to have sovereignty over their land and lives, and that’s a desire to which every American can relate. Our country was founded on the desire for self-government.

In Great Britain, the British people have spoken and want to reclaim their sovereignty from the European Union via a Brexit deal.

In the United States, President Trump ran his campaign on a message of putting America first.

It is natural for Americans to sympathize and stand with the people of Hong Kong. There is bi-partisan support for the people of Hong Kong in the United States Congress, something that is rare today.

This is a great opportunity for President Trump to stand up to our enemies—the Chinese—and to stand with the freedom protestors in Hong Kong.

If we have to pay a few more dollars for imported goods, who cares; defending Liberty is the very essence of what it means to be Americans.

China is an evil regime hell-bent on dominating Asia and overtaking the United States as the world’s biggest superpower. If they are successful, the world will be less free. America must remain number one, or millions of lives will be doomed to a life of servitude to the state.

That is why it so important that President Trump places the freedom of Hong Kong above a trade deal with China, or at the very least, uses the Hong Kong situation as a negotiation point to get concessions from the Chinese.

It is time for President Trump to speak out for the people of Hong Kong and against the repressive Chinese regime.

Trump needs to follow in the tradition of Ronald Reagan who called the Soviet Union what they were—an “evil empire.”

The Chinese aren’t afraid to slaughter people if they deem it necessary.

President Trump would be on the right side of history if he stood up for Hong Kong.