The United States ambassador to Japan defended his country’s trade policies on Friday, saying they were not protectionist and were aimed at creating a more level playing field for American companies. "The United States is the most open major economy in the world," Ambassador William Hagerty told
The United States ambassador to Japan defended his country’s trade policies on Friday, saying they were not protectionist and were aimed at creating a more level playing field for American companies.
“The United States is the most open major economy in the world,” Ambassador William Hagerty told reporters at the Japan National Press Club. “Japan and other countries have benefited greatly from that openness. So I want to make sure that we don’t mistake our efforts to achieve reciprocity for protectionism.”
U. S. President Donald Trump has roiled Washington’s trade relations around the world notably with China as well as traditional allies in Europe and North America.
And he has voiced displeasure with Japan’s $69 billion trade surplus with the United States in 2017 – almost two-thirds of that from auto exports – and wants a bilateral agreement to address it.
