Le Monde: Given the great uncertainty, is it still necessary to quickly sign a trade agreement with the United States? Le Monde on Friday questioned: On one hand, Trump dreams of reaching "major agreements" with his trading partners; on the other hand, the foundation of trade negotiations keeps changing. Under such conditions, how can the EU, Japan or China negotiate with the United States? The turmoil in the U.S. has made the work of negotiators and enterprises extremely difficult. Within less than 24 hours, part of Trump's tariffs were first deemed illegal, then restored through an emergency litigation procedure. Previously, on May 23, Trump threatened to impose a 50% tariff on EU imports before June 1. On Sunday, May 25, after a phone call with European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen, Trump postponed the implementation date to July 9. Le Monde questioned: Under such circumstances, how can the EU, Japan or China negotiate with the United States? On one hand, Trump dreams of reaching a "major agreement" with his trading partners; on the other hand, the foundation of trade negotiations keeps changing. The turmoil in the U.S. has made the work of negotiators and enterprises extremely difficult. "A bit stuck in a deadlock" Le Monde stated that under the constant turmoil in the U.S., negotiations between the White House and other countries in the world have stalled. Regarding the negotiations with China, U.S. Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent told Fox News Channel: "I think the negotiations are somewhat stuck in a deadlock." Subsequently, the U.S. Treasury Secretary vaguely added: "I think we will have further discussions with China in the coming weeks." Enterprises will stay put The constant turmoil surrounding U.S. tariffs not only hinders negotiations but also makes the work of enterprises particularly difficult, making them unable to make investment decisions. The only solution for enterprises is to stay put, do nothing, and wait until the situation becomes clear. This situation will certainly have a significant impact on the global economy. A study released by Allianz Trade, a credit risk management company, on May 20 showed that before what Trump called the "liberation day," 11% of companies planned to reduce investment; after "liberation day," the proportion of companies planning to reduce investment rose to 77%. For French companies, the proportion of companies planning to reduce investment even rose to 85%. Ana Boata, head of economic research at Allianz Trade, emphasized that "the观望 attitude prevails". This situation may continue for a long time. Sebastien Jean, professor at the Conservatoire National des Arts et Métiers and global trade expert, added: "For industrial enterprises focused on the long term, this is especially true," adopting a观望 attitude. It seems that U.S. customs officials can't keep up either Le Monde also pointed out that the uncertainty is so great that no company knows how much tariffs will be levied on containers shipped to the U.S. today. For example, it takes about three weeks for a container to be transported from China to the west coast of the U.S., during which time the U.S. tariff announcements may have changed ten times. It seems that even U.S. customs officials can't keep up with the changes. A senior official at Allianz Trade said: "We often see that the actual tariffs levied by U.S. customs are lower than the announced tariffs." Is it really in the interest of U.S. trading partners to quickly sign a trade agreement with the U.S.? Britain, in order to show off a diplomatic victory, announced on May 8 that it had signed an agreement with the U.S. An expert quoted by Le Monde said that Britain is "an example not to follow." Although both Trump and British Prime Minister Starmer praised the agreement, in fact, no formal agreement was signed between the UK and the U.S.; it was just a statement of principles. Le Monde pointed out that negotiating with the U.S. is becoming increasingly difficult because the threats from the U.S. are not limited to tariff threats. The budget bill recently passed by the U.S. House of Representatives (still requires approval by the Senate) contains a clause that deeply concerns investors - "Section 899." This clause allows additional taxes to be imposed on businesses and investors in countries whose taxation Washington deems "unfair," and the term "unfair" is not clearly defined. These additional uncertainties make future negotiations even more difficult, and the confrontation between Washington and the rest of the world will continue. Original article: https://www.toutiao.com/article/1833639492115588/ Disclaimer: This article represents the views of the author alone.