On the eve of bilateral US China trade investment agreement, let's take a walk down memory lane for a moment.
Let's look back at trade with Japan in the 50s and beyond.
Let's look at "Trading American Interests", Foreign Affairs, 1992, and especially this passage, my favorite among many:
"The 1955 agreement contained other controversial aspects. for example Washington cut duties on products of primary interest to third countries in exchange for their extending export opportunities to Japan. Negotiated at a time when other nations actively discriminated against Japanese goods, official Washington viewed these tariff cuts as essential to helping Japan establish a viable pattern of expanding trade. Such benefits went to Canada, Denmark, Finland, Italy, Norway, and Sweden. U.S. officials therefore purchased market share in Europe and Canada for Japanese exports at the expense of American producers and workers."
Re recent articles re China, as a so called ' free rider ' by EU officials in May in a BBC News article: these same foolish things were raised lamely re Japan 30 and 40 years ago, as Eckes pointed out back in 1992, doubtless to similar effect.
These issues are part of the structural political problems this country has always faced on issues of this kind.
Not only do they not get solved, to the advantage of American citizens over other people.
They never even get properly get framed, or addressed, politically, at all.
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