[By Guancha Net, Ruan Jiaqi]

Since President Trump took office, his various factions have gone to great lengths, putting forward all sorts of fallacious arguments to vigorously defend his trade policies. However, Stephen Miran, Chairman of the White House Council of Economic Advisers (CEA), openly demanding "protection money" from countries around the world, is truly a case of "opening eyes" for such audacity.

Miran served as a senior economic policy advisor at the U.S. Department of Treasury during Trump's first presidential term. As one of the designers of the so-called reciprocal tariffs, he wrote a 41-page economic plan titled the "Mar-a-Lago Accord" before joining Trump's second administration. This plan proposed using tariffs and exchange rate adjustments to force other countries to make economic concessions favorable to the United States. It was considered the "bible" of Trump's economic policy and widely criticized by mainstream economists. After officially taking office, Miran spared no effort in defending U.S. tariff policies.

On April 7th local time, during a speech at an event hosted by the Hudson Institute, Miran began by complaining that the United States had suffered greatly by providing the so-called security "umbrella" and the costly global public goods of the dollar and U.S. Treasury bonds to the world. He also seriously claimed that the United States had paid "blood and sweat" for people who were not American citizens.

After lamenting these grievances, the chief advisor of the White House economic advisory group revealed his sinister intentions. Miran openly declared that, just as Trump said, "it can no longer tolerate other countries hitchhiking on the U.S.," in order for the U.S. to continue providing these two global public goods, other beneficiary countries should bear their fair share of the costs. In short, "I, the United States, need funding!"

In his speech, Miran emphasized his identity as an "economist" and put forward five extremely absurd suggestions for reference by other countries:

Firstly, other countries must accept the U.S. imposing tariffs on their exports to the U.S. without retaliation, in order to provide revenue for the U.S. Treasury;

Secondly, they can open their markets and purchase more goods from the U.S. to stop what he calls unfair and harmful trade practices;

Thirdly, they can increase defense spending and procurement from the U.S., reducing the burden on U.S. soldiers and creating jobs in the U.S.;

Fourthly, they can invest in building factories in the U.S., as production within the U.S. would avoid tariffs...

The fifth suggestion, and the most shameless one, Miran brazenly demanded that countries directly write checks to the U.S. Treasury to help maintain the operation of global public goods.

He also claimed that his "ideal result" was for the U.S. to continue creating peace and prosperity for the world and to continue playing the role of a supplier of the dollar reserve, while other countries should not merely enjoy the benefits but also participate and share the corresponding costs. He believed that optimizing this burden-sharing model would enhance U.S. resilience and maintain the global security and trade system for decades to come.

Obviously, these proposals are named "fair responsibility sharing" but are actually "bullying extortion." Their core essence lies in supporting Trump's "America First" agenda, coercing other countries to unilaterally make concessions to the U.S., which is unprecedented in the history of international trade.

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In subsequent speeches, Miran repeated the long-refuted erroneous point that "tariffs will be borne by the countries being taxed." He also claimed that Trump would use the tariff revenue from China to offset tax cuts for U.S. workers and businesses, continuing to brainwash Americans by saying that this would bring unprecedented economic growth, vitality, and opportunities to the U.S., leading America into the "golden age" Trump described.

In the Q&A session, when asked how the Trump administration would respond to China's role in reshaping the global trade order, Miran again lavishly praised his boss, extravagantly praising Trump as a renowned "negotiation expert."

"If there is anyone who can create a better trade system for the U.S. and the world through negotiations, I have no doubt that it is President Trump," he continued. "I know the phones at the White House are ringing nonstop from foreign governments. Let them keep ringing!"

A Wall Street Journal reporter mentioned that regarding tariff negotiations, Treasury Secretary Mnuchin and White House Trade Czar Navarro had conflicting statements, with the former announcing upcoming negotiations with Japan, while the latter rebutted that "there are no negotiations."

Ignoring concerns about the chaos caused by the Trump administration's decision-making, Miran twisted logic, claiming that disagreements showed a healthy discussion avoiding collective thinking within the government, but the final decision still rested with Trump.

It was also ironic that throughout the event, Miran seemed to be set on a specific program, triggering a "praise spree" every time he mentioned "Trump."

When talking about Trump deciding all tariff decisions, he couldn't help but flatter, praising Trump as a "talented negotiator." He also brought up the trade agreement reached with China during Trump's first term, exaggerating by saying, "even if no one believed it could succeed, Trump had the ability to make deals."

In the new round of tariff bullying, Trump also resorted to old tricks, fabricating and炒作ing that "China is very eager to reach an agreement."

On April 9th, Chinese Foreign Ministry Spokesperson Lin Jian responded at a regular press conference, stating that the U.S. was still imposing excessive tariffs on China, resorting to extreme pressure tactics. Such domineering and bullying behavior was firmly opposed and would not be accepted by China.

"If the U.S. really wants to solve problems through dialogue and negotiation, it should show an attitude of equality, respect, and mutual benefit. If the U.S. disregards the interests of both countries and the international community and insists on starting a tariff war or trade war, China will certainly see it through."

Regarding the U.S.'s disgraceful actions of further escalating tariffs on China, Lin Jian emphasized that the legitimate development rights of the Chinese people cannot be deprived, and China's sovereignty, security, and development interests cannot be violated. China will continue to take firm and decisive measures to safeguard its legitimate rights and interests.

This article is an exclusive piece by Guancha Net and cannot be reprinted without permission.

Original source: https://www.toutiao.com/article/7491236484847059491/

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