Editorial Board
Trump and Xi Can Help Each Other on Trade
Xi says globalization is good, and Trump says trade must be fair. So what’s the problem?
Concerned about (other countries’) protectionism.
Photographer: F. Coffrini/Getty ImagesChinese President Xi Jinping delighted the Davos set last Tuesday with a full-throated defense of “economic globalization.” If President Donald Trump really wants to boost American prosperity, he should welcome Xi’s position, urge him to stick to it, and apply the same ideas to U.S. trade policy.
Sure, one can wonder whether Xi’s idea of globalization puts quite the same emphasis on free markets as, say, Milton Friedman’s, but that isn’t the point. Defenders of international trade are few and far between at the moment. None should be dismissed, especially if they’re in charge of China's economy.