9th November 2020
Trump’s Big Sulk: the oddest result so far
Acting like a spoilt baby is odd enough if you've just been the world's most powerful man. But some of the world's other most powerful men are acting even odder....
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17th October 2018
US confirms intent to start trade talks with EU, UK and Japan
The White House announced on October 16 it would start trade talks with the EU, Japan and the UK in 2019. Talks would begin in 2019. With the EU and...
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27th April 2017
Trump “tax plan” is a one-sided sheet of paper. With no comment on border taxes
Donald Trump's promised tax reform plan turned out on April 26 to be a content-free, single-sided, list of aspirations. The list made no mention of border taxes. The page says:...
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24th April 2017
Trump tax plan seems to rule out border taxes
Donald Trump revealed he plans to announce major tax cuts by the end of April - but most commentators believe his announcement must delay any talk of border taxes. In...
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7th April 2017
The Brexit and Trump kamikaze wings are trying to kill businesses
Brexit and the Trump Revolution are often linked. What really unites them is the extraordinarily uncommercial attitude many of their politicians are taking to what real businesses want. They differ...
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8th March 2017
What’s the Chinese for hogwash?
“China must be ready to face [the] growing trend of protectionism” said its Premier Li Keqiang on March 5. Well, he should know. Time after time, whichever political parties have...
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3rd March 2017
Wilbur Ross, sceptical about border taxes, outlines priorities for NAFTA renegotiation
Commerce Secretary Wilbur Ross, in a March 3 interview, offered insights into general trade priorities and his priorities for the NAFTA renegotiation. Overall, he said his priorities were: "First emphasis...
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1st March 2017
US policy announcements ignore major trade commitments
Although in January Donald Trump summarised his objectives as “Buy American, hire American", major policy priority summaries now almost ignore trade programmes. Trump’s Address to Congress Donald Trump’s February 28...
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28th February 2017
Mexico says “we’ll quit NAFTA if Trump makes unreasonable demands”
Mexico's top trade negotiator said in an interview published on February 27 that he would walk away from the table if US negotiators threatened 20% duties on cars. “The moment that...
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28th February 2017
This isn’t a good time for developing new sourcing strategies
The speed the sourcing environment's changing, you'd think this is a good time for a new strategy. You'd be wrong. No-one knows yet how Britain's options will develop On February...
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14th February 2017
Trump seems to be trying to break up NAFTA
A possibly unscripted February 13 remark by Donald Trump might indicate he wants to break up NAFTA, not merely renegotiate it. At a press conference for the Washington visit of...
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4th February 2017
First details emerge of probable NAFTA and Border Tax legislation – but where’s China?
US Congressional Republican leaders made their pitch on February 1 and 2 for handling NAFTA renegotiation and border taxes. Trump’s earlier China commitments seem to have disappeared. NAFTA renegotiation Donald...
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