Donald Trump intentionally began the economic war in which the rules of the game change at his own request, and the final goals remain uncertain. Using duties as an instrument of political blackmail, he creates a controlled chaos, allowing him to declare himself a winner at any time when it will be beneficial for his rating.
About this writes The New York Times. Trump again exacerbated the economic confrontation with China, introducing 10 percent duties on Chinese goods. In response, Beijing announced the introduction of duties of 15% of coal and liquefied natural gas (LNG) from the USA, as well as 10% for oil and agricultural machinery.
It would seem that duties should become an instrument for protecting the US economy or a coercion mechanism for more profitable trade agreements. However, according to NYT, in fact, they look more and more like Trump’s political weapon - a kind of economic " The only problem is in one thing: these rules remain blurry, and the criteria of victory are vague.
Trump has repeatedly demonstrated that his approach to international trade is not built on a long -term strategy, but on chaotic, impulsive decisions. Its goal is not to achieve a stable economic balance or clear agreements, but the opportunity to declare himself a winner at any time.
An example of this is Trump's attitude to Canada and Mexico. He first introduced duties for all three neighbors, saying that he wants to limit the flow of migrants and drugs. However, he subsequently postponed sanctions for Canada and Mexico for 30 days, saying that he allegedly reached concessions from both countries.
Trudeau appointed King Fentanil and created new units for the fight against drug trafficking, and Mexico promised to send 10,000 military to the border. The Canadian authorities before that deployed a large -scale program for controlling borders worth $ 1.3 billion, and Mexico has already significantly strengthened border control in 2021 - that is, all these " Trump himself, answering the questions of journalists about what specific actions of Canada could prevent duties, only dismissed, saying that he did not know.
China, like the rest of the world, is faced with the same phenomenon - the unprofitable and chaotic policy of the United States. In response to American duties, Beijing introduced his tariffs, but did not completely break out trade relations, announcing readiness for negotiations.
According to The Wall Street Journal, China seeks to return to the agreements of the first stage of the 2020 trading agreement, which suggested an increase in Chinese imports of American goods by $ 200 billion. However, according to the publication, this is not happy with Trump - his goal is not a compromise, but a demonstration of force.
Trump applied the same tactics against Colombia as against China and Canada. When this country refused to accept US military flights with deported migrants, Trump simply threatened it with tariffs - and Colombia quickly retreated.
But the problem is that even those countries that are trying to play according to his rules do not receive any guarantees. Canada enhances control over drug trafficking, Mexico attracts troops to the border, China offers economic concessions - but Trump still reserves the right to change the course at any time and say that they "
“He succeeds in chaos, he succeeds in conditions of uncertainty,” the former US ambassador to Panama John Fili Fili described this tactics. Trump does not establish clear rules of the game - and this is what makes his trade war endless.