It takes the editors of the Washington Post until the very end of their most recent editorial advising President Biden how he can “avoid Trump’s mistakes with China” to get around to offering any such advice. Most of the rest of the editorial is devoted to explaining why it makes sense for the Biden Adminstration to continue the policies that Trump put in place. Here’s their advice:
What could have created a truly impactful U.S.-led counterweight to Beijing was the 12-nation Trans-Pacific Partnership that President Barack Obama negotiated toward the end of his presidency. Mr. Trump spurned it and Mr. Biden, bowing to protectionist sentiment in his party, shows no signs of reviving it. The president should change that, or else he’ll be retaining not only what his predecessor got right about China — but also his mistakes.
That’t pretty weak tea. How am I to interpret that? I think they’re embarrassed to find themselves agreeing with the Biden Administration’s decision to continue the trade policies, tariffs included, that Trump put into place.
There is an issue that people advocating to join the CPTPP needs to address before I think it makes sense to even talk about joining.
What to do with Vietnam. It is a member, it has an authoritarian communist government; and is prone to the type of state led capitalism that the US has found problematic with respect to the PRC. At 100 million people, it is also a substantial country and economy.
Of all the countries the US has free trade agreements with; only the Jordan, Oman, Bahrain are non-democracies, and they are minnows economically to Vietnam.
I understand Vietnam likes to pursue policies that gives it space from the PRC, but I don’t think that’s sufficient to make Vietnam a suitable partner for a free trade agreement.
I am wary of treaties for a simple reason: I believe in conforming rigorously with the terms of any treaty in which we engage and expect the same from our partners in the treaty. I find both of those rare.