mactheknife wrote:
Peter S, you are just spouting obsolete left-wing propaganda and you clearly don't understand President Trumps strategy. To negotiate with anyone they must have something to lose. That was the reason for the tariffs on steel and aluminum. Now that the Chinese have something at stake, as well as the $600 billion trade surplus they will come around. The wealth of China is built upon trade surpluses. Do you think that they will scarify that wealth by keeping the status-quo and refuse to trade fairly? Not on your life! The next part of the strategy is reciprocity; we tariff their goods exactly the same way that they tariff ours, category-by-category. The same with all of our trading partners, including Japan, the EU, India, and so-forth. That can only be done on a bi-lateral basis and hence the Presidents aversion to trading pacts like the trans pacific partnership. In the past, we have been very poorly served by our politicians on this issue.
Peter S, you are just spouting obsolete left-wing ... (
show quote)
What do the Chinese have at stake? They have 50% of the market in steel an about that in aluminum. The US has only 4.7% so how does that threaten China's position--especially in steel which they have had no problem selling even with Trump tariffs. The only ones being hurt are the US consumers and no one else.
Without the Russians to bail him out Trumps last bankruptcy would have wiped him out. He's a man whose only success is at ripping other people off. He ripped US bankers off so many time that he can't find any who will lend him any money. That leaves the Russians as his only option and I can't think of a scenario where Trumps dependency on Russia is a positive for anyone involved except the Russians.