As E.U. and Japan Strengthen Trade Ties, U.S. Risks Losing Its Voice
By PETER S. GOODMANJULY 6, 2017
LONDON — In the master plan advanced by President Trump, an unabashedly aggressive United States is supposed to reclaim its rightful
perch as the center of the commercial universe, wielding its economic dominance to dictate the rules of global trade.
The Trans-Pacific Partnership — the giant trade deal
that Mr. Trump renounced — would have forced Japan to open its market to agricultural imports, probably increasing sales of American goods in Japan.
An analysis from the London School of Economics concluded
that the United States was in a far stronger position than Europe to exploit the Pacific deal by selling more wares in Japan.
“Our companies are now discriminated against.”
If Mr. Trump makes good on his protectionist threats, the United States could also find itself on difficult geopolitical ground.
