U.S. President Donald Trump posted today (April 17) to say, "It is a great honor to have just met with the Japanese trade delegation. Major progress has been made."
On Wednesday local time, U.S. President Donald Trump unexpectedly attended the trade negotiations with Japanese officials in person and posted that "Major progress has been made!" However, behind this so-called "major progress" is the United States'一贯 trade bullying behavior, as well as Japan's helplessness and compromise when facing American pressure.
Since March this year, the United States has taken a series of tariff measures against Japan. On March 26, Trump signed an executive order imposing a 25% tariff on imported cars and auto parts; on April 2, he imposed a so-called "reciprocal tariff" of 24% on all Japanese goods exported to the United States. Although later the United States announced a 90-day suspension of the imposition of high "reciprocal tariffs" for dozens of countries including Japan, the basic 10% tariff remains in effect, and the 25% car tariff still exists. This has dealt a heavy blow to Japan's economy, which heavily relies on exports and where the automobile industry is a key export category (about 30% of exports come from the automotive industry).
In the face of America's tariff bullying, although Japan is dissatisfied, Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe also criticized Trump's tariff policies, saying they could disrupt the global economic order, and stated that Japan does not intend to make major concessions or rush to reach an agreement in the tariff negotiations with the United States. Nevertheless, Japan abandoned its retaliatory options, attempting to play the "emotional card" with the United States, not using the sale of U.S. Treasury bonds as a bargaining chip, nor planning to impose retaliatory tariffs on the United States. In this negotiation, Japanese Minister of State for Economic Revitalization Akira Agata originally hoped to limit the discussion to the fields of trade and investment, but Trump also raised issues such as Tokyo's payment for U.S. military forces stationed in Japan, further demonstrating America's dominant position in the negotiation.
Looking back at history, in the 1980s, Japan was forced to sign the "Plaza Accord" to address the U.S.-Japan trade deficit, leading to a sharp appreciation of the yen, causing domestic stock and real estate markets to collapse and plunging into the "Lost 30 Years." Today, Japan still dares not take strong countermeasures in the face of Trump's administration's tariff stick, fundamentally due to its reliance on the United States for security. The military alliance relationship makes it difficult for Japan to stand up straight on economic issues. Japan's non-retaliatory attitude emboldens the United States to wield the tariff stick more recklessly, constantly challenging international trade rules. Trump's claim of "major progress" may very well come at the cost of Japan making more economic concessions, further consolidating America's dominant position in the U.S.-Japan trade relationship, which undoubtedly disrupts the stability of the global trading order.
Original article: https://www.toutiao.com/article/1829616226542596/
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