Trump threatens to cut off trade with China if it does not stop trade with NK

[GennGreymane]

https://finance.yahoo.com/news/treas...154222307.html

President Donald Trump on Sunday floated cutting off all US trade with any country that maintains economic ties to North Korea, a not-so-veiled threat to the country's primary trading partner, China.

"The United States is considering, in addition to other options, stopping all trade with any country doing business with North Korea," Trump wrote in a tweet.

It could be an empty threat. China remains a major US trade partner — according to the US Trade Representative, US goods and services traded with China in 2016 alone totaled an estimated $648.2 billion. Other US trade partners like India, Thailand, and the Philippines also maintain some economic ties with North Korea.

Trump's comments came several hours after US Treasury Secretary Steve Mnuchin called for an additional round of sanctions on North Korea on Sunday following the test of the country's most powerful weapon yet.

In an interview on "Fox News Sunday," Mnuchin said North Korea's test of what it claims was a hydrogen bomb was "completely unacceptable behavior."

"We've already started with sanctions against North Korea, but I'm going to draft a sanctions package to send to the president for his strong consideration," Mnuchin said.

He added: "People need to cut off North Korea economically."

Mnuchin also did not rule out implementing stronger regulations on Chinese companies and financial institutions that regularly interact with North Korea.

"China has a lot of trade with them, there's a lot that we can do to cut them off economically, much more than we've done already," Mnuchin said.

North Korea claimed that Kim Jong Un on Sunday inspected a hydrogen bomb that could eventually be mounted on an intercontinental ballistic missile.

Following news of the test, Trump chided China for refusing to cut economic ties with Noth Korea, and reiterated his hints at using potential military force to eliminate North Korea's weapons.

[Eviscero]

LITERALLY impossible. Also, maybe the fastest way to get his approval rating into the teens.

[Worvon]

Would never happen just due the fact a majority of products that bear the Trump name are made in China. He wants to use his office to make himself richer, not to hurt his wallet.

[Machismo]

Well, that would mean the end of our country as we know it. We're talking a loss of millions of jobs, massive inflation, the collapse of our currency, and a massive shortage of most of the products that keep Americans docile.

[Deleted]

American President issues threat that everyone knows he will not backup with actions.

I cannot wait to see how he will weasle his way out.

[Deleted]

So, when will Trump start doing anything besides bullshitting all the time?

[Kronik85]

We can't have a rogue nuclear state woth 100 kiloton warheads holding the pacific rim to ransom. If Trump can get other UN members to agree to make the same threats then this might actually work.

I doubt any country will unilaterally agree to stop trade with China but if all the major players stand united then this would be less of a bluff and a good way to force China's hand so we can have a bloodless solution to the NK situation.

This may be the only good idea Trump has ever had.

[Deleted]

This may be the only good idea Trump has ever had.

Yes... if he wasn't bullshitting. Little Kim got Trump by the balls and now everyone see how toothless he is.

It's time for Trump to shut the fuck up and let the grown-ups do their job. Including stopping attacking South Korea on Twitter, for Rao's sake.

[Garnier Fructis]

We can't have a rogue nuclear state woth 100 kiloton warheads holding the pacific rim to ransom. If Trump can get other UN members to agree to make the same threats then this might actually work.

I doubt any country will unilaterally agree to stop trade with China but if all the major players stand united then this would be less of a bluff and a good way to force China's hand so we can have a bloodless solution to the NK situation.

This may be the only good idea Trump has ever had.

This is like saying that nobody will commit economic suicide alone, but there's hope that they might all agree to an economic suicide pact.

[Kronik85]

This is like saying that nobody will commit economic suicide alone, but there's hope that they might all agree to an economic suicide pact.

Ceasing trade with China is not economic suicide for anyone. It's a massive massive body blow but nobodies economy just outright collapses if they have to cease doing business with China, but it does work that way for China if it losses it's major trading partners.

Have we got to the point now where people think China is so powerful it can survive without any exporting.

[Garnier Fructis]

Ceasing trade with China is not economic suicide for anyone. It's a massive massive body blow but nobodies economy just outright collapses if they have to cease doing business with China, but it does work that way for China if it losses it's major trading partners.

Have we got to the point now where people think China is so powerful it can survive without any exporting.

It's not about whether or not China can survive. While our economies might not 'outright collapse', it will have a disastrous effect.

[Mittens]

Downright cut off won't happen, but sanctions are easy to put and could serve a double purpose for Navarro to be more aggressive with China.

[Deleted]

[...]Trump wrote in a tweet.

[Kronik85]

It's not about whether or not China can survive. While our economies might not 'outright collapse', it will have a disastrous effect.

A price is going to be paid, the question is how much. We could pay with millions of lives lost in Seoul and South Korea with a conventional war. We could pay with billions of lives if we get WW3 or nuclear war. We could pay with money, resources and the end of conventional diplomacy in which rogue nuclear nations just demand shit from everyone else or they nuke everything in sight or we coukd pay with job losses and a hit to our economies.


OR China can see sense and play ball and actually take it's head out of it's arse and realise that it can't keep playing games with the world using NK as a pawn and then we can deal with the situation.

[Xeones]

Nothing says impeachment like ending the import of 90% of manufactured items (including Trumps own brand!)

[draynay]

Reminds me of when I'm playing Civilization and whatever AI is in last place contacts me and demands I stop trading with somebody and I just ignore them and go on with my life.

[Jastall]

A price is going to be paid, the question is how much. We could pay with millions of lives lost in Seoul and South Korea with a conventional war. We could pay with billions of lives if we get WW3 or nuclear war. We could pay with money, resources and the end of conventional diplomacy in which rogue nuclear nations just demand shit from everyone else or they nuke everything in sight or we coukd pay with job losses and a hit to our economies.


OR China can see sense and play ball and actually take it's head out of it's arse and realise that it can't keep playing games with the world using NK as a pawn and then we can deal with the situation.

Or we can keep the statu quo going because it's by far the least risky and costly thing to do, and some boastful yahoos in North Korea aren't worth economic mayhem or an incredibly costly war.

So it's what is going to happen.

[Breccia]

Yep. Mentioned in other thread. Up your game @GennGreymane

And, yes, extremely damaging to trade for US and China. Even in a situation with no good answers, this seems worse than most.

[Garnier Fructis]

A price is going to be paid, the question is how much. We could pay with millions of lives lost in Seoul and South Korea with a conventional war. We could pay with billions of lives if we get WW3 or nuclear war. We could pay with money, resources and the end of conventional diplomacy in which rogue nuclear nations just demand shit from everyone else or they nuke everything in sight or we coukd pay with job losses and a hit to our economies.


OR China can see sense and play ball and actually take it's head out of it's arse and realise that it can't keep playing games with the world using NK as a pawn and then we can deal with the situation.

This is all fine and good, but countries are not going to decide to stop trade with China based on this. Because assfucking your own economy to punish China is not something that any government is actually going to do.

So what China sees is an empty threat.

[Sunseeker]

I'd like to see him flush our economy down the shitter too. Maybe the morons who support him would finally see him for what he is: an idiot.