GLOBAL PERSPECTIVES

Trade Disputes Are at the Heart of Washington's New Diplomacy

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Cameron Munter
Board of Contributors

Apr 3, 2019 | 10:00 GMT

Chinese workers prepare to load pipes onto a ship in the port of Lianyungang on Jan. 14, 2019.

Chinese workers prepare to load pipes onto a ship in the port of Lianyungang on Jan. 14. Even if the United States reaches a trade deal with China, disputes with Japan, the European Union and others are sure to follow.

(STR/AFP/Getty Images)

Highlights

  • As the United States and China close in on a trade deal, it will be interesting to see how far Beijing is willing to go to accommodate American demands, given that China has clear long-term goals and believes time is on its side.
  • The U.S. trade wars are almost certain to continue, with a series of trade negotiations following an agreement with China. Among them: Japan, the European Union and the United Kingdom.
  • Trade disputes are at the heart of the Trump administration's diplomacy, which seeks to rebuild U.S. competitiveness and dominance by rejecting previously accepted global rules.

Reports indicate that the United States and China are closing in on a trade deal that will block new tariffs on Chinese goods entering the United States. But, as we saw at the summit between President Donald Trump and North Korean leader Kim Jong Un in Hanoi, Vietnam, in late February, nothing is finished until signatures are put to paper -- in this case, a formal trade agreement. If the United States and China come to an agreement, will the Trump administration rest on its laurels? Not likely. After China, we may see the Japanese, the Europeans and the United Kingdom -- even amid the unfolding Brexit drama -- step in to fill the American void....

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