Trump is urgently looking for allies in the trade war with China

Trump is urgently looking for allies in the trade war with China

After three months in which the Trump regime has insulted its best allies, imposed tariffs and even threatened annexation, the American government suddenly needs support. The US President has escalated a comprehensive trade conflict with China, the outcome of which remains uncertain. So the administration is rushing to find ways to put pressure on Chinese President Xi Jinping, who has shown no willingness to give in to Trump's blackmail attempts.

Harness America's international strength

However, there is a strategy that could work. This would mobilize U.S. strength and power and potentially create pressure on Beijing to address ongoing American complaints about market access, intellectual property theft, industrial espionage and other issues. The only problem: This approach contradicts Trump’s “America First” mantra.

US allies and trade talks

Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent noted in an interview on Fox Business this week that Japan, South Korea and India, for example, will soon be in trade talks with Washington, as will Vietnam. “Everyone comes to the table and basically China is surrounded,” he explained. Bessent emphasized that a common goal in the talks should be: "How do we get China to restore the balance? That's the big win here."

The role of American allies

Asked why American allies should help confront China when Trump treats friends and foes alike, press secretary Karoline Leavitt replied: "You need to talk to our allies who are reaching out to us. The phones are not stopping. They have made it very clear that they need the United States of America, our markets and our consumer markets."

The attacks on Europe

But everything Trump has done since returning to the Oval Office appears to be aimed at destroying groups of like-minded democracies. He made fun of the European Union several times this week. “I always say it was created to really hurt the United States in trade,” he said. Vice President JD Vance also showed his distaste for the continent at the Munich Security Forum and in an internal chat about air strikes in Yemen.

Trump's North America strategy

In the Western Hemisphere, Trump's stance also poses a problem. A unified North American trade alliance has long been seen as a potential protective barrier against China. But Trump has repeatedly threatened to take over Canada and has targeted Mexico with some of his harshest tariffs. New Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney has warned that his country's traditional relationship with Washington is over.

Economic strategies of the past

Still, the idea of ​​forming an alliance to change China's trade practices is so good that it's surprising no one has thought of it before. In fact, this idea already existed, but Trump blocked it at the time. On the first day of his term in 2017, he withdrew the U.S. from the Trans-Pacific Partnership program, an alliance of 12 nations including allies such as Mexico, Canada, Japan and Australia that did not include China. In addition, the Transatlantic Trade and Investment Partnership, which was supposed to connect the world's two largest markets, was discontinued.

The question of reliability

The crucial question now remains whether Trump has alienated America to the point where his friends no longer respond to his calls. Jason Furman, who led the Council of Economic Advisers in the Obama administration, told CNN on Thursday: "The United States is an incredibly unreliable partner for everyone around the world right now, and I don't know how we can become reliable again."