U.S., EU, Japan to join forces to confront China's trade practices

EU member countries including as Germany have threatened retaliation against any U.S. steel tariffs and have urged Washington against such unilateral actions.

Hopefully wiser heads prevail and the U.S & E.U come together against a common foe, rather than bickering among themselves. That would be a nice change.

.......TRACE practices........... :)

Well good luck with that!

Matt Hartwell, who is your common foe ? China ? That is 1.4 billion population. How big is your stomach ?

Trade is bilateral. If Japan doesn't like what China does, then just stop doing it. Never cry like a baby.

On the other hand, if Japan wants to remain prosperous, China is next door, huge opportunity. Japan has been benefited by trading with China for 3000 years. What is the point to bypass China ? Abe already lost $trillions in his past 5 years because his anti China policy. How much left for Abe to gamble ?

The West (USA, EU, Japan) invested and outsourced jobs in China, transferred know-how and technology, for years. Now, it's too much late. We westerns are losing our prosperity because our politicians have been so short-sighted. China, India, Brazil, etc., are the future. For the West, the good times are over. I wonder how USA think they can stop China when they are selling their whole Country to China. Also their public debt.

China has plundered tech from the developed world for too long. Unless penalties are retroactive, which will never happen, this seems pointless.

U.S., EU, Japan to join forces to confront China's trade practices

Good. This is long overdue

Matt Hartwell, who is your common foe ? China ? That is 1.4 billion population. How big is your stomach ?

Trade is bilateral. If Japan doesn't like what China does, then just stop doing it. Never cry like a baby.

On the other hand, if Japan wants to remain prosperous, China is next door, huge opportunity. Japan has been benefited by trading with China for 3000 years. What is the point to bypass China ? Abe already lost $trillions in his past 5 years because his anti China policy. How much left for Abe to gamble ?

It's not about cutting trade, its about sticking to the rules. The sort of thing that China itself constantly demands from everybody else, but never actually commits too nor carries out in their own market. When it comes to trade, a more two-faced country you could not possibly meet.

China's trade abuses are extremely well known and documented. Its been going for decades. You could ask any Western or even Japanese company that has trade dealings in that country and you will be presented with endless examples of slight of hand protectionism, demands for tech transfer, intellectual property rights infringement, the increasing demands of CCP members to be embedded within foreign companies etc

All of this falls way out of the bounds of what goes on outside of China. They want to create a one way street, whereby in trade, China is the overwhelming beneficiary.

Its about time we confronted them over it, and not only confronted, but change direction unless they change practices. If they refuse to change, fine, we will systematically eliminate their imports and replace them with imports from countries that genuinely believe in both "free" and more importantly "fair" trade, or are at least moving in that direction. We will focus very heavily on India.

There is absolutely nothing that China produces that can't be bought from elsewhere, even on price, there are opportunities now in South East Asia and India. Even in tech, you do not have to buy Chinese.

But its going to take government intervention. Private companies will need to be directed if this action of import replacement becomes necessary. That's the sort of thing that the U.S is afraid to do, but fortunately the E.U is far more open to doing. The possibilities of directing trade away from China while maintaining living standards and reasonably priced goods in the West will become fully alive if we can build India up

Matt Hartwell, let you do what you accused China doing, govt intervene.

When you do it, it is good, when China does it, it is bad.

I am sure China can move along happily without Japan.

Then why are these "Western and even Japanese companies that has trade dealings in that country" is STILL in that country?

Because clearly they can still earn money or the whole exercise is pointless. That doesn't mean what China does is reasonable, or even legal, which in many cases it clearly isn't and it doesn't mean we should simply shut up and take it either.

Matt Hartwell, let you do what you accused China doing, govt intervene.

When you do it, it is good, when China does it, it is bad.

I am sure China can move along happily without Japan.

This follows up from my previous point. If China insists it wants to continue with its current way of doing things then they should fully expect that other countries will do likewise. That is currently not the case. Fundamentally the West is far more open to China than the reverse. Far more. But that can and should change if China maintains its current way of doing things. To continue as it is, is not a tenable position.

The U.S has finally come to the correct conclusion. Its a pity it took someone like Trump to realize it.