Trump declares a trade war on EU and China

by **waauw** on Thu Mar 01, 2018 4:05 pm

Trump announces steel and aluminum tariffs Thursday over objections from advisers and Republicans

President Trump on Thursday said he has decided to impose punishing tariffs on imported steel and aluminum in a major escalation of his trade offensive, disappointing Republican congressional leaders and inviting retaliation by U.S. trading partners.

...On Thursday, China’s Foreign Ministry repeated its government’s objections. “The United States is disregarding the rules of the WTO, and China is dissatisfied with this,” spokeswoman Hua Chunying told a regular news conference. She said such measures would affect employment in the United States and affect the interests of U.S. consumers. “As for the actions of the United States, China will take proper measures to safeguard its legitimate rights and interests.”

https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/business/wp/2018/02/28/white-house-planning-major-announcement-thursday-on-steel-and-aluminum-imports/?utm_term=.9a8ccb238059

EU says it will impose trade 'countermeasures' against US goods in retaliation to Donald Trump’s new tariffs

European Commission president Jean-Claude Juncker said retaliatory policies would be announced “in the next few days” in order to “rebalance” the trade situation between European and the US following the move by Mr Trump.

http://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/europe/eu-threaten-trump-trade-goods-us-retalliation-countermeasures-tarrifs-a8235566.html

by **Thorthoth** on Thu Mar 01, 2018 4:25 pm

International trade can be just as invasive and destructive as international war. Both need to be tightly regulated, if not outright banned.
In fact the terms 'war' and 'trade' are virtually indistinguishable. Attempting to mark a division between the two is always a subjective and politically-motivated act.

by **waauw** on Thu Mar 01, 2018 4:30 pm

Thorthoth wrote:International trade can be just as invasive and destructive as international war. Both need to be tightly regulated, if not outright banned.
In fact the terms 'war' and 'trade' are virtually indistinguishable. Attempting to mark a division between the two is always a subjective and politically-motivated act.

You're saying I want you to f*ck Trump, then I agree.

by **Thorthoth** on Thu Mar 01, 2018 4:34 pm

waauw wrote:
Thorthoth wrote:International trade can be just as invasive and destructive as international war. Both need to be tightly regulated, if not outright banned.
In fact the terms 'war' and 'trade' are virtually indistinguishable. Attempting to mark a division between the two is always a subjective and politically-motivated act.

You're saying I want you to f*ck Trump, then I agree.

Waauw bizarrely misinterprets my post and then, unilaterally and unasked, agrees to f*ck Trump...
I just hope that the f*cking will be completely consensual. Don't just grab him by the manpussy, Waauw.

by **waauw** on Thu Mar 01, 2018 4:38 pm

Thorthoth wrote:
waauw wrote:
Thorthoth wrote:International trade can be just as invasive and destructive as international war. Both need to be tightly regulated, if not outright banned.
In fact the terms 'war' and 'trade' are virtually indistinguishable. Attempting to mark a division between the two is always a subjective and politically-motivated act.

You're saying I want you to f*ck Trump, then I agree.

Waauw bizarrely misinterprets my post and then, unilaterally and unasked, agrees to f*ck Trump...
I just hope that the f*cking will be completely consensual. Don't just grab him by the manpussy, Waauw.

If anything's wrong with that, I'm blaming South Park for indoctrination.

by **mrswdk** on Thu Mar 01, 2018 5:40 pm

China doesn’t even export that much steel to America. Even South Korea and Russia send more.

This is just another opportunity for China to show the world it is a better friend than Amerifail, is all.

*house music*

by **Bernie Sanders** on Thu Mar 01, 2018 6:32 pm

I'm all for a trade war with China! We will be witnessing a major recession hitting China with unrest with the peasants.

Time to overthrow the aristocratic leadership and only a real bloodletting revolution will cleanse China!

by **Neoteny** on Thu Mar 01, 2018 7:21 pm

No war but class war.

by **Dukasaur** on Thu Mar 01, 2018 9:23 pm

Thorthoth wrote:International trade can be just as invasive and destructive as international war. Both need to be tightly regulated, if not outright banned.
In fact the terms 'war' and 'trade' are virtually indistinguishable. Attempting to mark a division between the two is always a subjective and politically-motivated act.

Trade and war are exact opposites.

Trade is the propagation of mutual benefit. War is the propagation of mutual harm.

by **Thorthoth** on Thu Mar 01, 2018 9:35 pm

Dukasaur wrote:
Thorthoth wrote:International trade can be just as invasive and destructive as international war. Both need to be tightly regulated, if not outright banned.
In fact the terms 'war' and 'trade' are virtually indistinguishable. Attempting to mark a division between the two is always a subjective and politically-motivated act.

Trade and war are exact opposites.

Trade is the propagation of mutual benefit. War is the propagation of mutual harm.

Are you trying to sound like a dullard who memorized the dictionary, Duk?
Obviously, if those fairy tale definitions were universally true, there wouldn't be need of such terms as 'trade wars', 'imbargos', 'boycotts', 'protectionism'.
describing all the products, parties and ways that trade can cause harm, or that war can bring happiness, even peace, would be the subject of a lengthy book, not a forum post, but please try to keep the level of discourse such that it doesn't devolve into simplistic reductionism and tautological banalities.

by **karel** on Thu Mar 01, 2018 10:13 pm

good for trump

by **Bernie Sanders** on Fri Mar 02, 2018 12:11 am

karel wrote:good for trump

Traitorous Trump at the helm of the USS America with the blessing of Putin.

by **riskllama** on Fri Mar 02, 2018 12:40 am

*embargoes...

by **Thorthoth** on Fri Mar 02, 2018 2:56 am

riskllama wrote:*embargoes...

Thanks, llam... but you should understand that 'imbargo' is an archaic form of 'embargo'.
http://www.yourdictionary.com/imbargo
Being a syncretic god, I've witnessed over 5000 years of linguistic change among mortal humans.

by **waauw** on Fri Mar 02, 2018 4:35 am

Interestingly Trump wanted to save the american automotive industry and proceeds to increase their costs, rendering them even less competitive than they already were now that they will be forced to raise their prices.

by **Dukasaur** on Fri Mar 02, 2018 7:10 am

waauw wrote:Interestingly Trump wanted to save the american automotive industry and proceeds to increase their costs, rendering them even less competitive than they already were now that they will be forced to raise their prices.

Almost all of the steel for the American canning industry comes from Canada. We don't know yet if Canada and Mexico will be included in the tariff. They believe they should be exempted as NAFTA partners, but one never knows. If Canadian steel is included, that will be a big increase in the prices of American canned food. Which, I suppose, will help with Trump's ancillary goal of helping the poor get poorer.

by **mrswdk** on Fri Mar 02, 2018 7:14 am

Dukasaur wrote:
waauw wrote:Interestingly Trump wanted to save the american automotive industry and proceeds to increase their costs, rendering them even less competitive than they already were now that they will be forced to raise their prices.

Almost all of the steel for the American canning industry comes from Canada. We don't know yet if Canada and Mexico will be included in the tariff. They believe they should be exempted as NAFTA partners, but one never knows. If Canadian steel is included, that will be a big increase in the prices of American canned food. Which, I suppose, will help with Trump's ancillary goal of helping the poor get poorer.

Trump would have to give them an exemption, and he hasn't indicated that he intends to do so.

by **Bernie Sanders** on Fri Mar 02, 2018 8:10 am

Under NAFTA, Canada and Mexico would be excluded.

Almost all of the steel for the American canning industry comes from Canada. We don't know yet if Canada and Mexico will be included in the tariff. They believe they should be exempted as NAFTA partners, but one never knows. If Canadian steel is included, that will be a big increase in the prices of American canned food. Which, I suppose, will help with Trump's ancillary goal of helping the poor get poorer.

C'mon Duk, how much more would 1 can cost......maybe a penny? Let's do this trade war!

AMERICA FIRST!

by **waauw** on Fri Mar 02, 2018 8:27 am

Bernie Sanders wrote:Under NAFTA, Canada and Mexico would be excluded.

Almost all of the steel for the American canning industry comes from Canada. We don't know yet if Canada and Mexico will be included in the tariff. They believe they should be exempted as NAFTA partners, but one never knows. If Canadian steel is included, that will be a big increase in the prices of American canned food. Which, I suppose, will help with Trump's ancillary goal of helping the poor get poorer.

C'mon Duk, how much more would 1 can cost......maybe a penny? Let's do this trade war!

AMERICA FIRST!

Might be good for democrats. Last time the US imposed such drastic steel tariffs was in 2002 under Bush, to which the EU retaliated with sanctions on swingstate products. Bush had to rescind his tariffs after just one year and the US lost 200,000 jobs.