Trump Offers Trade to Asian Nations But Only If They Play Fair
- President speaks to Asia summit still reeling from TPP pullout
- Trump rejects multinational deals in favor of one-on-one pacts
President Donald Trump told Asian nations eager for the U.S. to stay committed to the region that he would no longer join multilateral deals like the Trans-Pacific Partnership but would seek bilateral pacts -- and only with countries that played by the rules and didn’t try to exploit the United States.
"The United States is prepared to work with each of the leaders in this room today to achieve mutually beneficial commerce that is in the interest of both your countries and mine. That is the message I am here to deliver," Trump told executives at the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation summit in Danang, Vietnam. "I will make bilateral trade agreements with any Indo-Pacific country that wants to be our partner and will abide by the principle of fair and reciprocal trade."