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Canada to join Mexico, EU and other major auto-producing countries to plot strategy against tariffs

TU Curmudgeon

B.A. (Sarc), LLb. (Lex Sarcasus), PhD (Sarc.)
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From Global News

Canada to join Mexico, EU and other major auto-producing countries to plot strategy against tariffs
​

OTTAWA – Canada will join Mexico and other European and Asian auto-producing countries this week to plot strategy ahead of the potential imposition of tariffs on vehicles and auto parts exported to the United States.

Japan and the European Union organized the meeting for Tuesday in Geneva, where vice and deputy ministers from Canada, the EU, Japan and South Korea will gather to talk about the punishing levies threatened by U.S. President Donald Trump.


READ MORE: Canada to host meeting on World Trade Organization reform, but without U.S. and China for now


A Canadian government official told The Canadian Press on Sunday that deputy international trade minister Timothy Sargent would attend the meeting on Canada’s behalf.


Trump has threatened to impose tariffs under Section 232 of the decades-old U.S. Trade Expansion Act. The legislation allows the president, under certain circumstances, to impose duties recommended by his commerce secretary under the notion that the goods being imported are a threat to national security.

COMMENT:-

That headline should actually be "Canada to join Mexico, EU and other countries to plot against the United States of America" - shouldn't it?


Isn't plotting against the US a crime?

Why doesn't Mr. Trump put all of those countries in jail (or, at least liberate them)?

Doesn't WTO stand for "World Terrorist Organization"?

Isn't the US at war with terrorism?
​
 


But, wait, aren't we supposed to be "crawling back" right about now? :lamo
 

No.


From the article you quote, the US and China were being left out because they are essentially in a trade war. It’s not meant specifically against the US as in the other countries “plotting against the US.”
 
OlNate said:
But, wait, aren't we supposed to be "crawling back" right about now? :lamo
Click to expand...

I suspect that everyone has forgotten the "news" that the Mexicans (less than two months after electing a new President who detests Mr. Trump) were actively seeking a "bilateral trade deal that would negate NAFTA".
 
Oceanborn said:
No.
Click to expand...

Mr. Trump wouldn't agree with you.

Oceanborn said:
From the article you quote, the US and China were being left out because they are essentially in a trade war. It’s not meant specifically against the US as in the other countries “plotting against the US.”
Click to expand...

Really?

So that's what "Japan and the European Union organized the meeting for Tuesday in Geneva, where vice and deputy ministers from Canada, the EU, Japan and South Korea will gather to talk about the punishing levies threatened by U.S. President Donald Trump." actually means?

You could have fooled me.
 
Oceanborn said:
No.



From the article you quote, the US and China were being left out because they are essentially in a trade war. It’s not meant specifically against the US as in the other countries “plotting against the US.”
Click to expand...

They aren't plotting against the US. They are talking about pushing back against US tariffs. It is interesting to note that they don't think that US input would be useful. Considering the fact that Trump can't be relied on as a negotiator, this is understandable. How many times had Congress thought they had a deal with Trump, only to have him blow in up the next day?
 
It's not plotting. It's a discussion. There is not some world wide conspiracy against the US.
 
Oceanborn said:
It's not plotting. It's a discussion. There is not some world wide conspiracy against the US.
Click to expand...

And yet the Trump administration says it is levying tariffs based on "national security concerns".

Why would allied nations feel at all slighted?
 
Rogue Valley said:
And yet the Trump administration says it is levying tariffs based on "national security concerns".

Why would allied nations feel at all slighted?
Click to expand...

When [1] the stable genius who is the head of a country's government says that he has "national security concerns" then you know that there are real "national security concerns" because no stable genius would say that he had "national security concerns" if there were no "national security concerns" to be had because if he said that he had "national security concerns" when there were no "national security concerns" to be had then he wouldn't be a stable genius and Mr. Trump has told us that he is a stable genius and since everyone knows what Mr. Trump's record for probity and truthfulness is then if Mr. Trump says that he is a stable genius then he must be a stable genius because only a stable genius would claim to be a stable genius and when (Return to [1])
 

There's not a damned thing this bunch can do about it...except go to their governments and tell them not to screw up their business. Trump doesn't care what these auto guys do.

In the meantime, the incoming President of Mexico is working with the Trump team to make their own deal with the US. This is the end of NAFTA and Canada is going to be left in the dust.
 

Considering the level of regard that Mexico's new President has for Mr. Trump, I'd tend to take "In the meantime, the incoming President of Mexico is working with the Trump team to make their own deal with the US." with a cup and a half of salt.

On the other hand, if Sr. Nieto can get Mr. Trump NOT to do something which is bad for Mexico in return for Mexico thinking about doing something that is good for the US (which isn't unlikely), then Mr. Trump will have achieved another outstanding international diplomacy success like he achieved with Germany - so there might be SOME basis for the statement.

Actually, when you consider that Alberta sells the US more oil than Saudi Arabia does (AND receives less for it) the possibility of Canada getting out of an incredibly unfair trade agreement doesn't sound all that bad.

If the Canadian government actually adopts the "Venezuela Plan" and nationalizes (because of "national security concerns") all American assets in Canada while offering the American owners the option of:

  • taking what the American owners have been claiming their assets were worth for tax purposes; or
  • taking what the American owners say their assets are really worth (after deductions for back taxes, interest, and penalties);

Canada might find itself in quite a good position with the end of NAFTA.

Sometimes one should actually consider the effect of what they are asking for, because they might actually get it.

PS - Did you know that Canadian oil is currently selling at about US$12/bbl less than Saudi Arabian oil?

PPS - Did you know that the majority of American oil exports (which are sold at the world price [which is about US$12/bbl higher than the price of Canadian oil]) consists of Canadian oil imported into the United States of America and then exported?

PPPS - Did you know that the profit that American oil companies made by re-selling Canadian oil is NOT counted in when determining the trade balance between Canada and the United States of America?

PPPPS - The American owners took "Option A." under the "Venezuela Plan" - can you guess why?
 
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You might be interested in this article: https://theconservativetreehouse.co...xico-plan-ministerial-session-thursday-in-dc/
 
Mexico and Canada don't have to shoot Trump in the foot. Trump is already shooting himself in the foot. There are many parts made in Canada and Mexico that are inputs to American manufactured finished goods that are hurt by Trump's actions.

I agree with your statement that "Trump doesn't care." Babies don't care about the ramification of throwing a tantrum and throwing their cereal all over the kitchen. Likewise, Mr. Trump doesn't care about the workers that will be hurt by his actions. Looking tough and bold, even if unwise, is what he cares about.
 
Mycroft said:
You might be interested in this article: https://theconservativetreehouse.co...xico-plan-ministerial-session-thursday-in-dc/
Click to expand...

Indeed, and I do "put this in the ‘out there’, but possible because Trump file: We might see an announcement this Friday about an agreement in principle between the U.S. and Mexico.".

I don't see Mr. Trump and Sr. Obrador agreeing on anything much in any sort of time period, and I don't see the Mexican government actually agreeing to any "deal" that the outgoing President makes in his last few days in office. (Assuming that the current Mexican government does ratify any deal, I don't see the incoming government NOT "unratifying" it.)

On the other hand, I can see Sr. Neito and Mr. Trump cooking up something that looks like a deal so that Mr. Neito's transition back to non-political life will be made a bit more financially comfortable and so that Mr. Trump will be able to say "I hold in my hand a piece of paper that will guarantee peace in our time." (or something like that) for the November mid-term elections. I expect that that paper will be as full of substance as the "deal" that Mr. Kim got Mr. Trump to agree to, and as full of substance as the "deal" that the Germans got Mr. Trump to agree to, and about as valuable to the US as a full scholarship to Trump University.

On the other hand, I could be wrong. All I can say is what I expect since I don't have your infallible ability to predict the future based on next to zero facts.

PS - Given the fact that Sr. Obrador doesn't trust Mr. Trump, and doesn't think that Mr. Trump will actually comply with any "deal" if Mr. Trump gets into a snit, I don't really expect much out of the meetings.
 
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It doesn't matter if AMLO trusts Trump or not. What matters is, can both parties make a deal that satisfies their separate interests. Trump wants to end NAFTA, close the auto loophole and create mutually beneficial trade deals. AMLO wants to protect his country's agro industry and improve his own country's trade position with the US regarding the tariffs. Neither one seems to care about Canada. That means they can make a deal...maybe. The Mexican outgoing President is largely irrelevant. He's a lame duck. AMLO is using him to set up the negotiations...that's all.
 

Quite right.

He's totally unconcerned about the higher paying manufacturing jobs because he wants to take Mexico back to being an agricultural appendage of the United States of America.

Mycroft said:
Neither one seems to care about Canada.
Click to expand...

And neither one seems to care about the United States of America either.

Mycroft said:
That means they can make a deal...maybe.
Click to expand...

Yep, never said that they couldn't.

Mycroft said:
The Mexican outgoing President is largely irrelevant. He's a lame duck. AMLO is using him to set up the negotiations...that's all.
Click to expand...

Yep, and Sr. Obrador is likely more than willing to make a "deal" that is as inclusive and detailed and firm in terms as the DPRK and Germany did.

Not only that, but so is Mr. Trump.
 
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