US-China trade war would harm global economy: The Japan News

US President Donald Trump gives a public speech at Krasinski Square in Poland, on July 6, 2017. PHOTO: REUTERS

In its editorial on Aug 18, the paper says the United States should abide by global trade rules when dealing with China.


TOKYO (THE JAPAN NEWS/ASIA NEWS NETWORK) - While avoiding falling into an unproductive battle of sanctions, both countries should respect international rules and try to solve problems constructively.

U.S. President Donald Trump has instructed relevant trade officials to look into whether to launch a probe into China's infringement of intellectual property rights and the like, on the basis of Section 301 of the U.S. Trade Act.

Under that law, should unfair loss incurred by U.S. companies be recognised, punitive measures, such as tariff hikes, can be taken against China.

The Chinese government is countering the U.S. move by declaring that it will take its own measures if Washington invokes sanctions against it.

If U.S.-China trade cools down, it will inevitably have an adverse impact not only on the two countries but also on the entire global economy.

It is apparent that the U.S. side aims at urging China to apply further pressure on North Korea, a country that is moving ahead with its nuclear and missile development and over which Beijing has some influence.

Yet there is the danger that using trade policies as a "bargaining chip" for the sake of national security, while the two things have no direct link with each other, would lead to a political settlement in disregard of the rules. Both sides are required to deal with the issue level-headedly.

U.S. firms' computer systems have been hacked by China, and their trade secrets have been stolen. And U.S. companies that have entered the Chinese market have been forced by the Chinese government to excessively hand over their technology to China.

The U.S. government is criticising Beijing, blaming China itself for these unfair practices.

On the occasion of its joining the World Trade Organisation (WTO) in 2001, China promised to reinforce the protection of intellectual property in the country. But that promise has not been kept, when the real state of affairs taken into account: Even today counterfeit goods and pirated software are rife in China. It is important to improve the situation steadily.

Section 301 may also pose a big problem.

When Japan-U.S. trade frictions became serious in the 1990s, Japan's automobile parts and its photographic film market were targeted by the United States.

The European Union back then filed a complaint against the United States with the WTO, claiming that Section 301 runs counter to WTO rules. The United States, by promising self-restraint in the use of Section 301, managed to avoid having the WTO determine that Section 301 runs counter to WTO rules. Should the United States deviate from WTO procedures, however, it will be considered to have violated WTO rules.

While past U.S. administrations in the 2000s and later restrained themselves from applying Section 301, the Trump administration has declared that it will change its stance to utilise it aggressively.

Trump considers a reduction of the U.S. trade deficit as a top-priority issue in his economic policy, but there are structural problems involved, such as strong domestic consumption. Even if the United States pressures its trading partners to make concessions by hinting at the use of punitive measures, it would be a long way from solving a fundamental problem.

The renegotiation of the North American Free Trade Agreement started on Wednesday, and substantive negotiations of the Japan-U.S. economic dialogue are expected to kick off this autumn or later.

The Trump administration, which has taken a self-assured negotiating stance with its "America first" trade policy, probably should switch quickly to take a realistic line that would foster reciprocal trade.


The Japan News is a member of The Straits Times media partner Asia News Network, an alliance of 23 media entities.

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