Trade ‘disaster’ worsens under Trump
“I have very serious concerns about the long-term ramifications of justifying protectionism under the guise of national security,” said Clark Packard, trade policy counsel at the R Street Institute, a public policy research group that promotes free markets and limited government. “If your goal was to completely unravel the international trade system, I think national security would be the string you would pull because countries are given such wide latitude to restrict imports in the name of security.”
There’s more justification for the USTR probe aimed solely at China’s forced technology and intellectual property practices, but “any attempt by the Trump administration to cut the trade deficit using trade policy would be a mistake. Imposing tariffs is going to be a drag on the economy and you’d see retaliation against American exports, potentially ensnaring unrelated industries,” Packard said.
