Eric Miller Op-Ed on Asian Countries views on NAFTA and the US
The fate of NAFTA goes much beyond trade in North America. Hong Kong’s South China Morning Post aptly marked the launch of the North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA) re-negotiation with a cartoon featuring Uncle Sam boxing a red-shorted fighter marked “NAFTA” while a large Chinese panda looks on. Recent travels by the author in […]
Taking Stock
It is now about eight months into the Trump presidency, and it’s time to take stock of his trade policy and accomplishments so far. The short answer is the policy is incoherent and the accomplishments few, but both deserve a deeper dive. The Trump trade policy began with the promise of transformation. Bad trade deals, […]
Jobs to People or People to Jobs?
By William Reinsch I’ve said before that the current administration provides a target-rich environment for discussing trade issues, but every once in a while a moment comes along where there is a gap in the news. As I write this we are between NAFTA rounds, the China 301 is in the information gathering phase, and […]
It’s Not Nice to Mess with the Market
By William Reinsch Ohio Senator Sherrod Brown made an important observation the other day in an interview. He noted the increase in steel imports since the president began threatening to cut them off (up 21.7% YTD from the same period in 2016) and made the point that since the president has not actually done anything, […]
Apple Pie and Transparency? I Think Not
By William Reinsch I have a confession to make. I’m not a big fan of transparency. Even though it is routinely up there with apple pie as a beloved staple of Americana, I think it is a mistake to accord it much importance, particularly in the context of trade negotiations. I say that with some […]
William Reinsch Quoted on NAFTA
In 1994, with trade fights raging over the North American Free Trade Agreement and the World Trade Organization, the White House faced an urgent problem: It was about to lose most of its power to block exports for national security reasons. The decades-old law governing so-called export controls was about to expire, and Congress was […]
William Reinsch Quoted on US-China Trade Policy
BEING tough on China was a constant theme of President Donald Trump’s election campaign. On August 14th he had another chance to wield his presidential pen to show that he is making good on his promises—in this case of a “zero-tolerance policy on intellectual-property theft and forced technology transfer”. With the cameras rolling, he formally […]
China, Again
By William Reinsch I had planned this week to write about something else, but the Trump administration’s action on China prompts me to return to what has long been one of my favorite topics. As those of you reading this know, the president on August 14 ordered the U.S. Trade Representative to consider initiating a […]