talkpolitics | Entries tagged with trade

Trump is a “friend to the American farmer?” What the hell is Kellyanne Conway smoking? American farmers are suffering because of Trump’s ill advised tariffs. And now he thinks $12 billion will fix the problem? What an insult. That bailout would never have been necessary if Trump had left things alone and let someone who actually knew what they were doing handle the economy.

I keep hearing how Trump “isn’t a politician.” This is utter and complete bullshit. Trump may not have been one officially before stumbling into the race a few years ago, but he has been nibbling around the edges for years, and he certainly is one now. He can no longer claim “outsider” status. He is an insider, and someone who is expanding and worsening “the swamp.”

fridi

Start a trade war. Higher prices for consumers. Lower revenue for farmers. Give farmers subsidies. Higher taxes for those not rich enough to benefit from tax cuts - i.e. lower and middle class. Hope you love pain, dear base.

Republican Senators: Trump’s Farmer ‘Welfare’ Won’t Work
"GOP senators are furious about the Trump administration’s plan to give $12 billion to farmers hurt by Trump’s own trade war."

Gotta love how Trump's making America great again goes through giving handouts to farming businesses he has single-handedly undermined through a trade war that was supposed to be helping them - so, instead of giving them incentives to develop and prosper, he's now making them completely dependent on government subsidies. You know - socialism. The one he keeps blabbering on against. The irony would've been delicious, had there not been the sour taste of the consequences for all those ordinary people.

Many of whom form the core of his base, by the way. But we've talked about this before, right?

abomvubuso

"We're America, bitch!" That's how a top White House aide formulated Trump's foreign policy. The president is simply flipping the bird to the whole global order and to the whole rest of the world, which in his mind is being unfair to America, treating her as a donor and not paying the due respect to her power and greatness in return.

In just about three months, Trump has done four things that were unthinkable for a US president: he pulled the US out of the Iran nuclear deal, he met with NK dictator Kim Jong Un, he started a trade war with China, and he slapped America's closest allies with punitive tariffs.

For Europe, which was used to relying on America's support, including for its own defense, Trump is a major shock, one that has caused both anger and desperation, followed by wandering in search for a strategy for responding to the new situation. Europe now finds itself in want of a way to learn how to cope without the cosy support of the Trans-Atlantic alliance.

( Read more... )

fridi

That China is not going to get emotional and impulsive in their response to Trump's trade war was expected; after all, they're known for their long-term thinking and planning.

Leaked documents show China's game plan to drive a wedge into Trump's base using targeted tariffs

- China is using tariffs with the hope of splitting "apart different domestic groups" in the US, according to a leaked propaganda notice.
- The notice, which outlined a range of censored content for Chinese media, included a brief overview of Beijing's trade strategy.
- Experts already thought China was trying to target President Donald Trump's political base with its tariffs, but this appears to be the first time the official strategy has become public.

Of course, China's specific targeting of Trump's base makes sense, and it's also kind of fair. It makes sense, because if you're going to strike back reciprocally with a certain amount of tariffs, you're not going to apply it haphazardly wherever it lands - instead, you're most likely going to try to hit where it would hurt most.

( Read more... )

fridi

Actually Harley Davidson only plays a minor role in the Trump-initiated trade war. The motorbike producer is too small to make a real impact on the US labor market and trade balance.

But the fact that this particular company, which (like just a few others) symbolizes the American ideal for freedom, has decided to outsource part of its production overseas as a direct consequence of the EU counter-measures to Trump's punitive tariffs, is a painful political defeat for the Tweeter-in-Chief.

This is another example of Trump's calculations going wrong: instead of creating, he's actually shutting down jobs in the US. It's no surprise that he's been vomiting spittle for days now on Twitter.

In fact, this isn't the first time that his trade policies have achieved the exact opposite result of what he had planned, hopes and promised for. Recently, China intentionally imposed heavy tariffs on farming production from the US Midwest, exactly because that's where Trump draws the bulk of his base from.

Turns out, trade wars don't tend to be won as easily as anticipated. Particularly if you start waving your dick against virtually EVERYONE.

The times when America used to call all the shots single-handedly in global trade and world politics, are gone. Face it.

johnny9fingers

Maybe time for a more sober and less speculative analysis... :/

The dissolution of the Western alliance is almost upon us. Divisiveness, trade wars, the gelding of NATO, the withdrawal of the UK from the EU...

This is just what is happening. Whatever the causality, whether there has been a prime mover, or an accidental alignment of separate events, there is a new world order apparent and it is best described as every man for himself.

This redraws the balance of power dramatically. China will soon overtake the US as the world's foremost economy, and is a pretty formidable military power. Russia is a large but faltering economy atm and a large military power too. The EU is a huge economic group, but not much of a military power.

The US was and will be for at least a few decades, the largest military power on the planet, but it won't have the largest economy to fund it. This creates the sort of anomalous situation that the UK faced after WWI.

The strategic alliances built up over many decades by many administrations of different stripes are being dismantled or superseded. NATO has been diminished by the lack of intervention in the Turko-Russian spat, and the whole Ukraine debacle. Trade wars with close allies create distance. Openly courting your nation's avowed opponents, the ones the alliances had been put together to guard against, whilst initiating trade disputes just isn't good diplomacy. But soddit, 45 is randomly going to dismantle these historical alliances by not recognising the consequences of his approach.

Cui bono?

Well, China has been in the DRS zone for some time now so it doesn't have to do much to assume dominance. Even so China benefits.
Russia benefits if its policies eventually enable it to get sanctions rescinded and it reclaims its place in the world of Superpowers.
NK benefits as does SK.
Everyone who isn't America or Europe wins a bit, but possibly not enough to compensate for the lack of some sort of global alliance which gives (relative) stability.

Who loses?

Well, the US loses its place at the head of an alliance it has been propping up economically for years. Mind you, it will still spend the same amount of money on its military, or even more, when the alliances fall apart. Just to keep America safe, and great, of course. America will find it more difficult to get others to join its gang when it needs them.

Europe loses its comfortable and cheap American defensive umbrella. Europe may have to militarise slightly more than previously, which will be expensive. Especially if the UK's forces are withdrawn in the general Brexit non-agreement, incoherent FUBAR.

The UK loses a redoubled grand slam a good number down.

I'd love to see a different balance sheet which points out the things I have overlooked which are of importance. Make me wrong guys, please.

fridi

'The dumbest possible way': Heartland Republicans rip President Trump's tariff plans

- Republicans have already started to criticize President Donald Trump's tariff escalation with China.
- Beijing has threatened to hurt farming states with proposed tariffs on soybeans and other agricultural products.
- Some House Republicans in states with major farming presences already face tough re-election bids.

"On Wednesday, as China proposed its retaliatory measures, Sasse's Republican Senate counterpart in Nebraska, as well as both of Iowa's GOP senators, urged Trump to reconsider the moves. Sen. Chuck Grassley of Iowa, a noted Trump ally, said, "Farmers and ranchers shouldn't be expected to bear the brunt of retaliation for the entire country."
...
"Sen. Deb Fischer, who faces what should be an easy re-election bid this year in Nebraska, said Wednesday that she told the White House her state's farmers would face a "significant market loss" if China went through with its tariffs.
...
The tariffs also come as Republicans try to campaign on the tax overhaul passed in December, their signature achievement of Trump's first year in office. The fears about tariffs have sparked questions about whether the policy could overrule the GOP's economic messaging on taxes.
...
"He's threatening to light American agriculture on fire," Sen. Ben Sasse, R-Neb., said in a statement Thursday night. "Let's absolutely take on Chinese bad behavior, but with a plan that punishes them instead of us. This is the dumbest possible way to do this."

( Read more... )

abomvubuso

Of all stupid and self-hurting things one could imagine, trade war tops the list, one Bill Brock recently said (he was Reagan's trade advisor at the time the US was running the tariff-slapping game with Japan). The reason for his statement was Trump's new course of hitting China with new tariffs worth $ 60bn.

Trump's actions have called back the fear of a full-out trade war with a potential to throw the world into yet another recession. The financial markets initially tanked, then they partially recovered this week, after it transpired that no one in the White House wanted an escalation and the tariffs were being used mostly as a threat that would coerce the US trade partners into... well, I don't know. Forming an anti-China trade alliance perhaps? At least that's what Trump may've been hoping for, I guess.

( Read more... )

fridi

So let's see now. When things get really tough and you've got to choose, do you choose to align with your major trading partner for the sake of future prosperity, or do you stick with the old ally whose future economic prosperity is highly questionable, but has been a reliable military and geopolitical ally?

Australia’s Hard Choice Between China and US

"Canberra has always deftly balanced between Beijing and Washington but it may soon need to choose one over the other".

The author sees that dilemma as one almost bordering on schizophrenia, as "the business and financial community continue to see China as Australia’s future, [whereas] the defense and intelligence establishment in Canberra take a different view."

It's a showdown between Oz' Five Eyes faction and their trading elite, essentially. And which of the two is going to win the argument is yet to be seen.

I'd say Oz should stick to the policy of promoting open trade and honest relations with both the US and China, while carefully staying away from any entanglements in alliances and any such. And I'm talking of both (any) sides.

Of course, it's in Australia's interest to foster greater trade ties with Asia. In this sense, ending the ANZUS treaty with the US might be imminent at this point That doesn't necessarily mean the US can't be a strong ally in the future, since they share similar culture, language, values of liberty and economy, and a common origin. The hegemony has to end, however. This has ceased being a monopolar world for some time.

fridi

While the world was looking in dismay at Trump's umpteenth muscle-flexing statement that inflamed the tensions in various conflict areas like Korea, Afghanistan or Iran, the US were still busy, exporting shale gas to Europe. The purpose of the whole exercise is well-known of course: to break Russia's dominance at the European energy markets. And we're not talking of a political act here, but a merciless trade war. The US has been trying to push its rivals out of the global gas market, which is currently dominated by Qatar and Russia. We all know what's happening to Qatar right now, with the help of America's main allies in that region. As for Russia, it's also trying to counter by expanding its gas supplies. They've tried to diversify the delivery means too, including huge new tankers transporting liquid gas. They also have 15 of those.

It's no coincidence that Trump made a tour around East Europe earlier this year. Just like all his predecessors, he's been lobbying on behalf of the big US companies. The US is now looking for the weaker spots on the market, where it could make inroads, and begin the next stage of this scramble. Naturally, these spots are countries that are simultaneously hostile to Russia and are trying to pursue policies that are somewhat emancipated from Brussels and Berlin. Thus, Lithuania became the first post-Soviet republic to get a liquid gas delivery from the US. From their standpoint, that's not just a politically significant step, but also crucial for their economy, as the Baltics have been dangerously dependent on Russian energy sources for decades.

( Read more... )

fridi

Apparently Chipotle Mexican Grill, the popular fast-food chain, cannot stop their own downfall...

It all started when they decided to occupy the niche of fast, but healthy foods. So they started selling GMO-free products that were fresh, raw, without preservatives, hand-made, bio, organic, etc.

( Read more... )

luzribeiro.livejournal.com

It's nice when you're swimming amidst tons of cash, right?

Belt and Road Initiative: China Plans $1 Trillion New ‘Silk Road’

It's got all in this plan: ports, power plants, power grids, telecommunications networks, roads, railways, bridges, transport hubs, transport manufacturing (train/ship builders) etc.

Here's a nice colorful map of it all:

Well, all I see is a colourful streak on a map running through many Muslim countries pretending to be functional nation states. This must end well.

Would love to see how China would be taking its turn in dealing with the (in)famous Middle East quagmire. It should help accelerate global distrust of China.

Anyway...

( Read more... )

dreamville-bg.livejournal.com

It's not just the Two Speeds Europe plan. My focus here is actually on product quality, or rather, the double standard that exists there in the EU:

http://www.reuters.com/article/centraleurope-food-idUSL5N1GD4N4

And it's not just about food. Shampoos, laundry detergents, dishwashing detergents, toothpastes, you name it. They all have inferior quality in Eastern Europe in a comparison with the same brands which are sold in Western Europe. And there is no reasonable justification for this.

( Europe's blatant double standards )

nairiporter.livejournal.com

So, the Donald has done what in his first days as president? Embarked on a tweet-storm presenting it as "policy", going after the media, intimidating the press, placing a fake-news guru on the security council, dropping joint chiefs of staff...

Also: stripping abortion-supporting organisations from funding, essentially depriving them of their capabilities. Which, by the way, is going to bring all sorts of unintended consequences (including the fact that this exec order is actually going to bring MORE abortions, not fewer):

"Reducing access to family planning services leads to more unplanned pregnancies, more unsafe abortions and more maternal death." (source)

Also: issuing gag orders on federal employees. Which, again, is going to bring unintended consequences, starting with potential challenges in the constitutional court:

"A memo issued at the Department of Health and Human Services on Trump’s first day in office even prohibited federal employees from communicating with Congress. That’s in violation with a host of federal laws, including the Whistleblower Protection Enhancement Act, the letter says." (source)

Also: the (in)famous border wall of course, particularly the notion that Mexico would somehow be made to pay for it through increased tariffs on Mexican imports. Again, unintended consequences:

"American consumers and companies may end up actually paying the tax. ... The tax might not improve the US trade deficit as other countries respond." (source)

Any predictions about the next moves of the otherwise unpredictable rogue president?

luvdovz.livejournal.com

Funny how everyone hated the TPP, but now it's straight from Jesus since Trump killed it and they are suddenly finding how good it was. The destruction of protective laws, the environment, and worker's rights by corporations and other talking points are now totally forgotten, eh?

Which is not to say that Trump isn't being typically stupid and short-sighted about it all. Shall I predict exactly how much effort he had put into studying the TPP before scuttling it? Better not.

The thing is, he's in such a hurry to get adulation from his fans, that he ignores the long-term consequences. Dropping TPP essentially gives China a wide open field for its own East Asia Co-Prosperity Sphere. That's the big problem with Trump (among many others): he is one-dimensional in his thinking. He can only see the possible short-term loss of jobs and not the long-term consequences of turning Asia completely over to China.

Someone please alert Sen. Bernie Sanders about the great news, because he and most of his supporters didn't like the TPP at all. Turns out Bernie is ultimately on the same page like Trump on TPP. Feel the Bern, yo!

dreamville-bg.livejournal.com

While everyone is bickering about TTIP and its imperialist purpose regarding Europe, there's another agreement that's gradually gaining support among the traitorous EU leaders: the Canada-EU free-trade agreement, called CETA.

Just like the US deal, CETA contains a new legal system, open only to foreign corporations and investors - in fact, the general suspicion is that this agreement is the backdoor for US corporations to enter Europe the "other way", posing as Canadian-registered capitals.

A closer look at CETA reveals some alarming facts. Under the CETA stipulations, should the German government for example make a decision, say, to outlaw dangerous chemicals, improve food safety or put cigarettes in plain packaging, a Canadian (read: US) company can sue the German government for "unfairness". Corporate courts have conveniently been stipulated in the agreement, of course, their power overruling that of national legislations. And what does "fairness" mean? Simply they can't make as much profit as they expected. The "trial" would be held at those special tribunals, unelected by the people, unappointed by the people's lawful representatives, overseen and responsible only to corporate lawyers and their corporate overlords.

Beautiful, isn't it?

FYI, almost all EU governments are now actively pushing for CETA (why am I not surprised?). Mine traded its last shreds of national sovereignty by taking the bait that Canada would remove the visas for our citizens in exchange. The only resistance came from Wallonia, the French-speaking portion of Belgium, which, according to Belgian law, can veto decisions of national importance for Belgium - hence, Belgium is the last obstacle to this power-grab. And the EU is pressuring Belgium very fiercely to quit being such a pain in the ass. My prediction is not good: Belgium will cave in, eventually. And Europe will sell its ass to North America sometime within the next couple of months. Congrats!

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Talk politics.

A place to discuss politics without egomaniacal mods.

Entries tagged with trade

Folk's friend, my ass.

Shocked! So shocked I am, I tell ya!...

Trade, and other wars

Pinpoint accuracy

Miscalculations a-la Trumpe

Trade war?

That's karma for ya

Make trade, not war

Between two behemoths

Economic battleground: Europe

Chipotle's bio downfall

Unleashing the dragon

Dumping your trash on us, aren't you?

And this is just week 1

The Don brings the Bern!

TTIP's smaller brother

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July 2025

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