日批在线视频_内射毛片内射国产夫妻_亚洲三级小视频_在线观看亚洲大片短视频_女性向h片资源在线观看_亚洲最大网

Global EditionASIA 中文雙語Fran?ais
World
Home / World / Americas

Ex-US trade reps: Tariff talks 'positive', but policy still in doubt

By YIFAN XU in Washington | chinadaily.com.cn | Updated: 2025-05-15 10:09
Share
Share - WeChat

The trade agreement between the United States and China reached over the weekend to slash tariffs was acknowledged as a potentially positive development by six former US trade representatives on Monday, though they said it does not resolve concerns about broader US trade strategy.

Shipping containers on the MSC Livorno await unloading at the Port of Long Beach, California on March 5, 2025. [Photo/Agencies]

They tried to "figure out how to make some sense, at least for 90 days, of what has happened and how they move forward", said Susan Schwab, USTR under President George W. Bush.

She spoke at the event, "Conversation with Former USTRs", hosted by the Center for Strategic and International Studies (CSIS) in Washington DC.

The panel expressed cautious relief that the US and China had stepped back from further immediate escalation.

Charlene Barshefsky, USTR under President Bill Clinton, said, "I think it's good that both sides climbed down from the ledge, particularly good that the US climbed down.

"Most of all, I think it's good that the two sides recognize that they each have interests that actually do overlap, one of which is not to decouple," she added.

Robert Portman, USTR under George W. Bush and later a US senator from Ohio, said, "I applaud Secretary Bessent and Jamieson Greer for taking the lemons and making some lemonade, because I didn't think they would get as far as they have," adding that the "jury's still out in terms of the next 90 days".

Michael Froman, USTR under President Barack Obama, concurred, saying, "I think it is good that the two parties are really trying to manage the relationship and climb down from what was a very strict high period of escalation".

However, he and others highlighted the persistent uncertainty that the 90-day window creates for businesses making long-term investment decisions.

Carla Hills, USTR for President George H. W. Bush, described the Geneva outcome as "a very small step forward" but one that "does suggest that maybe the two parties could sit down and make another step forward and then another step forward".

The panel said that underlying issues remain unaddressed and that the Trump administration's overall trade strategy is potentially harmful to both American interests and the global economic system.

Barshefsky downplayed the specific tariff rates, predicting fluctuations, and reiterated the consistent theme across past administrations: engagement with China and an opposition to "decoupling".

Beyond the immediate situation regarding China, the former USTRs expressed their concerns about the direction of US trade policy in recent years.

"Where is the US going with this? What is the place in the world we want?" asked Barshefsky, arguing current policy lacks clear objectives and is "destroying the very system we helped to create".

Froman criticized what he called was the US' adoption of protectionism and its industrial policy. He expressed concern about the impact on the multilateral trading system.

Hills said that the US erred by weakening the World Trade Organization (WTO). "If we fall back and adopt a policy of tit-for-tat tariffs, we will simply become much less influential, prosperous, and proud of our history," she said.

The former USTRs also explored the shifting role of Congress. Schwab talked about how historical legislation delegated tariff-raising powers to the president while Congress retained market-opening authority (trade promotion authority, or TPA), which has now lapsed.

"We may criticize the current administration for only using sticks ... but they don't actually have any carrots because Congress hasn't delegated that authority," she said.

Portman confirmed that Congress had "very generously delegated its authority", enabling recent presidential actions. He mentioned that recent administrations had not requested TPA, while it could get potential bipartisan support.

Regarding the WTO, the former officials agreed its core functions are stalled, with several endorsing "plurilateral" agreements as a pragmatic path forward.

They also discussed the narrative blaming past trade policies for harming American workers. Barshefsky countered that trade boosts overall economic growth; benefit distribution depends on domestic policy.

Froman agreed, saying that domestic policy failed to address dislocations primarily caused by technology, not trade.

"Economists tell us 80 percent of dislocation in the US was due to technology, not trade," Froman said.

Ronald Kirk, also USTR under Obama, pointed out the political reality where anti-trade rhetoric often prevails.

"We are ... destroying the very system we helped to create, which has been so enormously positive for the United States," Barshefsky said.

Most Viewed in 24 Hours
Top
BACK TO THE TOP
English
Copyright 1994 - . All rights reserved. The content (including but not limited to text, photo, multimedia information, etc) published in this site belongs to China Daily Information Co (CDIC). Without written authorization from CDIC, such content shall not be republished or used in any form. Note: Browsers with 1024*768 or higher resolution are suggested for this site.
License for publishing multimedia online 0108263

Registration Number: 130349
FOLLOW US
主站蜘蛛池模板: 日韩视频久久 | 国产精品乱码一区二三区小蝌蚪 | 青娱乐超碰在线 | 免费久久久久 | 久久国产剧情 | 国产69精品久久久久久 | 四虎成人精品永久免费av九九 | 大乳av| 日韩视频免费观看 | 亚洲一级一区 | 成年人不懂如何谈恋爱免费观看 | 国产又粗又长又黄视频 | 日韩毛片中文字幕 | a√在线视频 | 成人免费精品动漫网站 | 成年人在线观看免费视频 | 91精品国产欧美一区二区 | 一区二区三区中文字幕 | www.国产精品.com | 国产精品一区二区三区不卡 | 男人日女人免费视频 | 91在线小视频 | 国产伦精品一区二区三区免费 | xxx一区二区 | 91青青草原 | 亚洲经典av| 亚洲欧美乱综合图片区小说区 | 日本日韩欧美 | 曰韩av| 亚洲日日日 | 久久91视频 | 欧美一级大片在线观看 | 天天综合视频 | 国产成年人网站 | 色哟哟入口国产精品 | 一区二区三区视频在线 | 极品闺蜜苏姨小说阅读 | 波多野结衣一区二区三区四区 | 超碰动漫 | 欧美成人黄色网 | 中文字幕亚洲精品 |