As reported in the above-linked article, Biden would consult with “allies” to use “collective leverage” to “strengthen his hand” in conducting trade policy with China. It seems that Biden has no clear ideas of his own on the matter. And Biden fails to understand that we have no allies when it comes to trade policy. The rest of the world, especially those so badly overpopulated that they’re heavily dependent on exporting to the U.S. to sustain their bloated labor forces, are allies not to the U.S. but to the concept of “free trade” which, thanks to the relationship between population density and per capita consumption, virtually guarantees that they’ll enjoy a surplus of trade with the U.S. It is they, including China, who are exercising “collective leverage” against the U.S.
What does Biden expect that these “allies” will tell him? Does he think that they’ll support the U.S. in its use of tariffs to restore a balance of trade with China? Of course not. They don’t want the U.S. to realize that tariffs are an effective tool for correcting lopsided trade imbalances because they know that they’ll be next. Our “allies” will quickly lecture Biden about the evils of “protectionism” and the benefits of “free trade.” They care nothing about the damage done to the American economy because it works to their benefit.
It would be like a mangy, flea-bitten dog asking for the fleas’ help in dealing with one particularly nasty flea that’s been biting the hell out of him. The fleas will first look at each other in disbelief and then, with a wink, advise the dog that they actually do him a service, protecting him from some other imaginary malady. The big flea high-fives the other laughing fleas. The dog eventually succumbs and dies.
Perhaps he’s not interested in trade at all. Maybe he just likes the optics of appearing to be a “statesman.”
America needs a leader with a clear-eyed vision of how to restore a balance of trade and stop America’s economy from hemorrhaging a trillion dollars a year. Judging by this report, it doesn’t appear that Biden is that guy.