ECIPE Seminar: Whither US Trade Policy?

The US administration has upended US trade policy and, in the process, caused a lot of friction in the global trading system. New tariffs on steel and aluminium have been introduced for reasons of national security – and the administration is currently reviewing other tariffs (e.g. on automotive goods) on the same grounds. A first batch of special tariffs on China’s exports has been decided and President Trump has signalled he’s prepared to escalate the trade conflict with China. These are only two examples of new US protectionism and the question is: will there be a lot more protectionism coming?