Donald Trump may not always be aware of the consequences of what he says and does. But the debate he has triggered with his comments on free and fair trade could be helpful to bring about change, says DW’s Henrik Böhme.
They must still be milling around in some drawers. I mean all the thousands of pages written during the stalled negotiations between the EU and the US on a trans-Atlantic free trade agreement (TTIP). It’s a deal that didn’t come about, because for the leftists, environmentalists and do-gooders, TTIP symbolized the ugly face of neoliberalism.
Now the fat’s in the fire as the US mulls higher tariffs on imports from Europe. After lashing out at unfair trade practices and bad treaties with Mexico, China and the EU, US President Donald Trump has stepped into action.
One might feel inclined to say that the man in the White House has only had his backers and voters in mind, whom he promised to make America great again. Indeed, it may probably be wrong to suggest a global strategy behind his behavior. Donald Trump doesn’t seem to care a lot about what his actions or words mean to the rest of the world.
You simply have to live with that, like it or not. And you have to try and make the best of it. He’s the one we need to talk to as there’s no replacement in sight in the White House mid-term.
Identifying the positive aspects
Let’s look at the bright side of life. South Korea, for instance, has managed to strike a deal with the Trump administration. The existing agreement was renegotiated. The upshot of it all was that the South Koreans are going to export less steel and open up their market a bit more for American cars (which hardly anyone is interested in buying in the Asian nation anyway). If that’s all it takes to please Donald Trump, that deal may well serve as a blueprint for the Europeans.
The equation is simple. On average, the US levies tariffs of 2.5 percent on imports from the EU, while the European Union slaps an average of 3.5 percent on imports from the US. Why not meet in the middle, or better still, do away with the tariffs altogether. After all, that was one of the objectives laid down in the TTIP draft. That’s why they should get those documents out of the drawer again, at least the chapters on trade barriers.
Let’s be pragmatic
Isn’t it a joke that Donald Trump doesn’t really hold the World Trade Organization (WTO) in high esteem, but then sends a team to the WTO headquarters in Geneva to file a complaint about China’s handling of intellectual property and patents? It looks like the WTO has a role to play after all in the present-day world of trade.
For more read the full of article at The Dw
