I think what is more imperative for you is to get your facts straight.
Recognize that the world is not all trying to "fleece" the U.S., and stop falling prey to the wild and nutty conspiracy theories that are laughable to a normal person capable of independent thinking. Mr. Trump is not widely regarded as a person of substantial intelligence or wisdom. There is a good reason for that. Your rush to his ideology's aid will likely result in regret one day.
HCC 发表评论于
@nightrider
Your second paragraph is equally misplaced.
Europeans paid for their own defense. Yes -- the U.S. paid the largest share for NATO -- at 22%. No -- that does not mean Europeans aren't paying their bills. Europeans pay for 78% of NATO budget (including Canada, which pays 6.3%) -- 3.5 times more than the US.
Your claim of Europe "...charging much higher tariffs on our exports than we theirs" is simply not the case. See below:
"WTO statistics show that the EU’s average trade-weighted tariff was 3 per cent in 2015, the latest year for which this figure was available. Canada’s average trade-weighted tariff was 3.1 per cent, compared with 2.4 per cent for the US."
See https://www.ft.com/content/2edf26f8-6b28-11e8-b6eb-4acfcfb08c11
That is hardly "much higher."
Didn't I tell you to be wary of the words of Mr. Trump?
HCC 发表评论于
@nightrider
Nope.
Firstly, your claim of "China had promised to allow over 50% controlling holding of financial institutions" is flat out wrong.
What "financial institution" are you talking about? Bank? Insurance company? Brokerage firm? China promised different things for different entities. For non-life insurance, it is 51%. For life-insurance, it is 50%. For asset management companies, it is 49% (3 years after entry to WTO). For brokerages, it is 1/3. Not to mention, China already agreed to relax the ownership limits since last year.
Do you even know what you are talking about?
Which promise did China not comply? Did you know that one could file a complaint against it in the WTO and ask for a panel to be established to rule on the complaint? How many complaints were filed against China for this "50% controlling holding of financial institutions"?
Secondly, the former WTO Director-General Pascal Lamy gave China an "A+" for its performance since its entry to the WTO.
(See http://www.businessinsider.com/us-trade-disputes-dont-stop-the-wto-from-giving-china-an-a-2011-10)
Mr. Lamy also blasted the U.S. for not complying with rules.
(See https://www.reuters.com/article/us-usa-wto/wto-should-prepare-for-life-without-u-s-ex-chief-lamy-says-idUSKCN1G326S)
The above also does not change the fact that the U.S. is the one who is the most sued in WTO -- more so than any other country or region, period.
Don't let words from one side of trade muddy your judgment.
nightrider 发表评论于
@HCC:
It is you who needs to fact check. China has reneged on many commitments made to gain accession to WTO. For example, it had promised to allow over 50% controlling holding of financial institutions; it had promised to refrain from requiring technology transfer as a condition of market access; it had promised to open the telecommunications market to foreign producers.
As for the European allies, they have been relying on the generous defense expenditure of the US paid for dearly by us the taxpayers and saving their military budget to sustain their socialist welfare states and feed their lazy and slouches. They have been charging much higher tariffs on our exports than we theirs.
Yes, we, including the previous presidents, have tolerated us being fleeced. That does not mean we have been happy about it. It is now time to right the wrongs and to reckon the debt.
