cradleandshoot wrote: ↑Sun Aug 25, 2019 3:06 pm
So a Fan... how do you negotiate this issue with the Chicoms?
Asked and answered pages ago. But here it is again:
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1. Line up all our allies. EU, NATO, PacRim. All of them. Get together and discuss how to hold China accountable for IP theft, etc.
2. While you're getting your allies together, you take that $30 Billion that Trump piddled away on farmers with no thought, and instead cut checks to the Commerce Dept, the Dept. of Ag, and other Departments....and take every US Trade Group out to new countries to establish new markets for US goods that would be hammered if we got into a Trade War with China.
These trips work. It's how, for example, my buseinss secured a few million in exports in the UK and EU....the Dept. of Ag funded sales junkets to London and Paris. The US officials helped facilitate meetings with willing buyers...and boom, we secured sale agreements.
Now if China cuts us off, our farmers and other sectors aren't caught with their pants down and have a head start on selling goods elsewhere.
3. Now you gather US officials, and go through "what if" scenarios. For example, even if we play our hand perfectly (whatever that might mean), China could elect to just shut down and start a Cold War. What do we do if that happens?
4. Now you're ready to start negotiating with China. We have to do all these things to protect US interests, and minimize the economic damage that is likely to follow.
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There ya go. And that's just the broad strokes. Dozens of other things can be done. For example: anyone hear about Brexit? The Brits are rightfully freaking out. What if Trump steps in and offers a new UK/US tariff free work-exchange trade agreement? Let US or UK passports be good for jobs in the US like they were (with limitations) with the EU. Look at everything the UK gets from the EU, and offer same from US. Line up US/UK buyers and sellers.
This tiff with China can work out to our advantage----but in order for that to happen, Trump and the Federal government
has to get off their ass@s and do something about it.
What do we have instead? We get zero planning, and a bunch of unplanned tweets in its place. And tech and old salt are playing dumb, acting like "it's all good, Trump's on the case". It's annoying. If you believe in sticking it to China, I'm 100% cool with that. But we need to use our heads if we're actually to come out for the best here. "Doing nothing" isn't a plan.
Further, I want to emphasize point #3. China may simply elect to move into a Cold War with the US. That's a complicated new situation, to put it mildly. Moreover, that doesn't stop the #1 gripe with China, does it? China can, and will go right on ripping off US intellectual property. So we have to understand that that issue is likely un-winnable unless Trump gets every one of our allies on board. And even then, they might not cave.