Taiwan, Trump and Trade: The Implications of the

Transcript:Taiwan, Trump and Trade: The Implications of the:
Taiwan, Trump and Trade: The Implications of the Trump Era on Trade Relations between Taiwan, China and the US By Charles R. Irish Volkman-Bascom Professor of Law (emeritus) Director Emeritus, East Asian Legal Studies Center University of Wisconsin Madison, USA April, 2017 Introduction Over the last 70 years, the United States has played a leading role in the liberalization of economic activity around the world. Globalization has brought enormous improvements in health, education, and economic prosperity to almost all parts of the world. But some people have not benefited from the globalization process and they now have become potent political forces in many democratic countries. As a result, globalization may have reached an historic apex and is now threatened by a rise in nationalism and a retreat toward greater economic protectionism. In Europe. Also in the US. Trump’s Election Trump’s election was a surprise to many people. Because of the peculiar system for electing the American president, Trump actually finished third in the voting: Hillary Clinton got 65.8 million votes. Donald Trump got 63.0 million votes. Over 40 percent of the electorate, or 95 million people, did not vote: Clinto and Trump were the too most unpopular candidates to ever run for president. But Trump won the Electoral College, 306 to Clinton’s 232, and that is what determines the presidency. By a substantial margin, he is the least qualified American president in over 100 years. Trump is deeply disliked by a large portion of the American population and he has the lowest approval ratings of any president since approval rating records have been kept. But the widespread dislike for Trump is so intense that that many people fail to understand the importance of what Trump’s election really stands for: it is a rejection of the status quo and a good number of the grievances that have led to the rejection are legitimate and need to be addressed. US International Economic Policies Since November 8, 2016 In his presidential campaign, Donald Trump promised to reverse the last 70 years of American led efforts to introduce economic liberalizations throughout the world. It is apparent that Trump as the American president is and will be a very disruptive force. During the early days of his administration, he has given many indications of following through on his campaign promises. Trump as president is indistinguishable from Trump the candidate. Many people had hoped that after