Reference News Network, July 2 report: The U.S. website "Politico" published an article titled "Trump Prevents Other Countries From Achieving Major 'Victories' in Trade Negotiations, Which May Lead to a Mutual Loss" on June 29. The authors are Daniel Desrochers and Megan Messinger. The following is an excerpt of the article:

Reaching a trade agreement with India should have been one of the first victories for President Trump after he launched his "reciprocal tariffs" campaign against dozens of trade partners in early April. However, despite the U.S. government's promise of an agreement being imminent for more than two months, both sides are still struggling to advance negotiations to finalize the agreement.

Two anonymous sources said that Washington and New Delhi continue to make progress based on the first phase of the trade agreement, and a more comprehensive agreement may be reached later in the fall. However, the White House has demanded "open access to the Indian market" and tried to link the negotiations to sensitive geopolitical issues in the region, making it harder for Prime Minister Modi's government to sell the agreement to the domestic public.

This highlights how Trump's strategy in trade negotiations, which relies solely on "sticks and no carrots," makes it difficult even for friendly foreign governments to reach agreements.

Sayed Akbaruddin, former Indian ambassador to the United Nations, said, "Nothing angers Indians more than the idea of their government being bullied by foreign leaders. A trade agreement that was once a win-win could now be portrayed by opponents as 'tribute' rather than partnership."

India was among the first countries to start trade negotiations with the United States, with talks beginning in February when Trump began unveiling his ambitious agenda to reshape global trade. Negotiators have reached agreements on some agricultural issues, energy procurement, and non-tariff barriers, prompting the White House to express optimism that an agreement would soon be reached.

However, according to insiders, signing the formal agreement remains difficult because the Trump administration has asked India to lower trade barriers while only giving up part of the newly imposed tariffs in return.

For the White House, India will be the second country to agree to a tariff deal, not counting the "ceasefire" in the tariff war with China. Any agreement must help justify the administration's claim that Trump's high tariffs have indeed helped open new markets for American products while protecting the U.S. market.

The president has repeatedly credited himself for facilitating peace between India and Pakistan this spring, complicating matters further. India has long maintained that it does not accept any mediation on issues involving Pakistan.

Trump's repeated diplomatic blunders this week, including at the NATO summit in the Netherlands, plus his recent decision to host the Chief of Army Staff of Pakistan at the White House, may make it even harder for the Indian government to sell the trade agreement to its people.

Akbaruddin said, "Trump's statements have injected distrust and suspicion into America's support for India. The more he repeats his claims, the more future U.S.-India trade agreements will seem like coercion rather than cooperation."

Mukesh Aghi, chairman of the U.S.-India Strategic Partnership Forum, said, "Whatever the current Indian government does will be seen as yielding to President Trump's demands. Therefore, they are in a dilemma."

The White House views tariffs as a tool to exploit other countries and force them to make concessions—whether in trade issues or in other numerous foreign policy priorities. But the U.S. either fails to understand or simply doesn't care how much the domestic politics of trade partners influence negotiations, and these political factors may ultimately outweigh the economic threats the U.S. can impose.

Negotiations with South Korea have stalled due to the country's election of a new leader under a caretaker government. Talks with Japan have been blocked because the Trump administration has asked Tokyo to increase defense spending and insists on maintaining a 25% import tariff on cars and auto parts. European leaders have also opposed the U.S. attack on European value-added taxes. (Translated by Tu Qi)

Original: https://www.toutiao.com/article/7522419746734719551/

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