Trump to Call for International Trade Reforms in U.N. Speech
25 September 2018 - 1:31PM
Dow Jones News
By Vivian Salama
President Trump is expected to call for the reform of the
international trade system in his second address to the United
Nations General Assembly on Tuesday, and he will ask that countries
collectively work to ensure that global trade works for the
prosperity of all.
No longer a stranger to the international stage, Mr. Trump has
revised several international agreements since appearing before the
annual gathering of world leaders last year, and has severed
others. His unconventional -- and often defiant -- attitude toward
international treaties and multilateral alliances rattled many
countries around the world last year, provoking questions on how a
globalized world would cope with a protectionist U.S.
On Tuesday, Mr. Trump will describe how his "America First"
foreign policy vision offers a path toward mutual prosperity for
the United States and its allies and will assert that the U.S.
won't enter into agreements of any kind that force it to surrender
its sovereignty, according to a White House spokesman.
Many of those attending this year's assembly have since gotten a
taste of the hard-nosed negotiating tactics of this
businessman-turned-president -- and are opting either to adapt or
find alternatives.
While he has shown some flexibility in his insistence that trade
deals be made on a bilateral basis, he continues to hammer some of
America's closest allies and biggest trade partners with stiff
steel and aluminum tariffs in the name of U.S. national security
and assert a need for deals that deliver more reciprocal
benefits.
Since last year's speech, Mr. Trump has pulled out of the
Obama-era Iran nuclear accord and is in the process of reimposing
sanctions on Tehran, ruffling feathers with many European allies
who had been keen to explore Iran's untapped economic
potential.
He has signed a new trade agreement with South Korea, reached a
tentative agreement with Mexico, is negotiating a new one with
Canada, and is hoping to pursue deals with the European Union and
Japan. He threatened to walk away from America's closest allies in
the Group of Seven alliance, boycotting its largely ceremonial
communiqué over his trade dispute with Canada and the EU, although
he eventually came around. He also has threatened to leave the
World Trade Organization.
As his trade dispute with China comes to full blows, Mr. Trump
is expected to hark back to his national-security strategy, in
which his administration asserted the need for conditional
cooperation -- particularly with competitors such as Russia and
China. Mr. Trump repeatedly has accused China of engaging in unfair
trade practices, including intellectual property theft.
Beijing abruptly canceled talks planned for this week, as the
Trump administration imposed new 10% tariffs on $200 billion of
Chinese exports starting Monday. Mr. Trump has vowed additional
tariffs if China targets U.S. farmers.
China's President Xi Jinping isn't expected to attend the
assembly.
Write to Vivian Salama at vivian.salama@wsj.com
(END) Dow Jones Newswires
September 25, 2018 08:16 ET (12:16 GMT)
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