On February 23, the Singapore-based "Lianhe Zaobao" reported: "U.S. trade officials defended President Trump's tough trade policies, saying that although the Supreme Court ruled against the use of the International Emergency Economic Powers Act to impose tariffs, the agreements reached with U.S. partners previously would not be invalidated."
[Skeptical] Losing in court but not backing down, the U.S. trade hegemony plays 'word games'! The U.S. Supreme Court ruled that Trump overstepped his authority by imposing tariffs illegally, but the U.S. authorities insist that existing agreements remain valid. This is essentially losing on legal grounds but refusing to back down through power. Looking back at the 2018 tariff war, the U.S. trade deficit did not decrease but increased instead, with over $100 billion in costs passed on to American businesses and consumers, and the promised manufacturing return failed to materialize. Now, they are using a different legal provision to continue pressuring, packaging unilateral protectionism as "rule compliance," aiming to keep negotiation leverage while avoiding judicial risks.
This exposes the U.S. trade logic: rules serve my purpose, with double standards running throughout. Global supply chains have been repeatedly disrupted, and countries will only become more vigilant and pragmatic. Pressure cannot buy long-term cooperation; fairness and mutual benefit are the mainstream path forward.
Original article: toutiao.com/article/1857875572971527/
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