Trade correspondent L.C. reports: With President Trump’s meeting with Chinese President Xi Jinping less than a week away, the outcome for trade and tariffs remains uncertain. Disagreement among the US president’s advisers continues. President Trump himself seems unconcerned with the impact the trade uncertainty is having on the health of the world economy. On Thanksgiving […]
Chinese leaders unhinged as economy weakens
Trade correspondent L.C. reports: An economic summit of world leaders held in Papua New Guinea ended in acrimony yesterday, the Wall Street Journal reported today, “as a fight over Chinese trade practices cast doubt over the ability of Washington and Beijing to resolve their trade battle soon. For the first time in the Asia-Pacific Economic […]
Trade in split Congress likely to be bipartisan but protectionist
Trade correspondent L.C. reports: In the wake of the highly partisan US midterm elections, trade is one of the few areas where bipartisanship is possible. Most observers believe that Congress will pass the US-Canada-Mexico (USMCA, a.k.a. NAFTA 2.0) implementing bill during 2019. It is also likely that Congress will approve the start of trade talks […]
Business investment stagnating in face of trade uncertainty
“The U.S. economy expanded at a 3.5 percent pace in the third quarter as consumers opened their wallets, businesses restocked inventories and governments boosted spending, marking the strongest back-to-back quarters of growth since 2014,” Bloomberg writes. The growth “followed a 4.2 percent advance in the prior three months…” But sustained growth and productivity gains require […]
Strategic materials war with China, US free trade negotiations with allies
Trade correspondent L.C. reports: The White House formally notified Congress on October 16th that it intends to begin free trade negotiations with three important allied trading partners: Japan, the EU, and the UK. Allied solidarity is crucial as China rushes to lock up strategic raw materials worldwide while resisting US efforts to reform its state-dominated […]
