US Commerce Secretary Threatens India and Other Countries to Fix Issues

Multiple bilateral trade negotiations have stalled, and US officials are once again threatening.

On September 28 local time, US Commerce Secretary Rutenberg gave an interview to the American media "NewsNation" and said that the United States would have to "fix" some countries, including India. He accused countries such as India and Brazil of having "issues" and needing to make a "correct response" to the United States by opening up their markets and avoiding policies that harm American interests.

The host first praised that under the pressure of the Trump administration, important markets such as Japan, the EU, and the UK that were once closed have now been opened. She asked Rutenberg if there were any new breakthroughs to reveal.

Rutenberg said that according to President Trump's negotiation style, the first agreement is always the best one, and the conditions of subsequent agreements will be gradually increased. "So Europe is a special case for us, with 450 million people and an economy of 20 trillion dollars, which is a remarkable market opportunity."

He said that even small countries like Switzerland have a trade surplus of 40 billion dollars with the United States, and Switzerland's wealth is due to this surplus.

"Switzerland's leaders have always said: We are a small country, we want a deal like the UK. But you know, that's impossible. Even after we signed the agreement with the UK on May 8th, it was useless for them to raise this request the next day, because that was the first (most favorable) agreement. If they want something similar, they have to pay a bit more."

"So, there are a bunch of countries 'in need of fixing', like Switzerland, Brazil, right? Brazil also has issues. And India."

"These countries need to make the correct response to the United States, open up their markets, and stop taking actions that harm American interests. This is why we currently have differences with them."

Rutenberg said that these issues will eventually be resolved, but it will take time.

"These countries must understand: If you want to sell products to American consumers, you have to comply with the president's policies. So, these negotiations are still ongoing," he said.

Original: www.toutiao.com/article/1844576842358026/

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