Bilateral, Shmilateral
By William Reinsch An unexpected, at least by me, turn of events in the trade policy landscape is the Trump administration’s announced preference for bilateral rather than plurilateral (TPP) or multilateral (WTO) negotiations. While it is encouraging to learn that they are in favor of negotiating — there was some doubt about that after statements made […]
Nate Olson’s Op-Ed in US News & World Report on Trump and Trade
Are the U.S. and China headed for a trade war? Many analysts and investors think it quite possible. Top Chinese officials have seen fit to underline the mutual harm it would bring. As it is, we are lucky to have a tenuous thaw given then-President-elect Trump’s wayward thought experiment on tabling the “one China” policy alongside trade issues. Read the full article here.
Changing the Way America Counts the Trade Deficit?
By William Reinsch Over the past several weeks we have witnessed an odd kerfluffle over how to calculate the trade deficit. It began with a report, subsequently denied, that the Trump administration was considering excluding reexports from the trade deficit calculation. Reexports are items that are imported into the United States and then reexported without […]
Trump and Trade: No Room for Error
By Nate Olson Are the U.S. and China headed for a trade war? Many analysts and investors think it quite possible. Top Chinese officials have seen fit to underline the mutual harm it would bring. As it is, we are lucky to have a tenuous thaw given then-President-elect Trump’s wayward thought experiment on tabling the “one China” policy alongside trade issues. From here on, there is much […]
Nate Olson quoted in Los Angeles Times on Trump’s Approach to Trade
The Trump administration Wednesday sent its strongest signal yet that it was prepared to buck the international trade order, including confronting the World Trade Organization, to assertively defend the economic interests and sovereignty of the United States. -snip- Nate Olson, trade director at the Stimson Center, a think tank, sounded alarmed. “It’s downright disingenuous — and dangerous — to claim a mandate […]
Economic Nationalism
By William Reinsch On Oscar night 2017 I found myself recalling the same night in 1999, when Judi Dench won Best Supporting Actress for the eight minutes she spent playing Queen Elizabeth I in Shakespeare in Love. One of her memorable scenes was leaving the theater and heading for her carriage. Sir Walter Raleigh, seeing […]
William Reinsch quoted in The Christian Science Monitor on Mexico and NAFTA
FEBRUARY 28, 2017 —Threatened by President Trump’s proposed 30 percent border tax, Mexico said it is not afraid of a tough negotiation. -snip- “[Trump] will be faced with the choice of walking away and doing something drastic, or essentially folding but declaring victory,” William Reinsch, a distinguished fellow at the Stimson Center and former president of […]
Nate Olson quoted in Politico on Trump’s Trade Powers
The Trump administration sent shockwaves through the world of trade yesterday when the Financial Times reported that it was looking for ways to bypass the World Trade Organization, the 22-year-old oversight body that adjudicates trade disputes, and which Trump has called a “disaster.” -snip- “That is a fairly elastic standard,” said Nate Olson, the director of the […]