USTR Jamieson Greer Provides Background on U.S-China Trade Discussions
United States Jamieson Greer is a very solid member of the Trump trade team. Having learned at the knee of former USTR Robert Lighthizer, you can see the stability of thought in the consistency of approach.
USTR Greer outlines the ongoing discussions between the U.S. and China on the framework of a stable trade relationship. Against a myriad of geopolitical chess moves on the economic and trade front, Greer and Treasury Secretary Bessent play key roles in executing the Trump Doctrine.
In the background of the President Trump and Chairman Xi meeting, we can see the broad contours of President Trump’s strategy toward both the Russia-Ukraine conflict and the China-Canada trade relationship.
If President Trump can formulate a strong, actionable and enforceable free trade agreement with Chairman Xi, it will undercut the ability of Canada to assemble cheap component goods not available in the U.S. manufacturing equation for total cost of goods. This puts Trump in an even stronger position heading into the 2026 USMCA (CUSMA) dissolution phase.
Additionally, despite the mainstream thoughts to the contrary, putting distance between Russia and China is not averse to the interests of Russian Federation Vladimir Putin, who would strategically prefer to do business with the ‘west’ over Beijing. However, China does not want to see their Biden-created tentacle weakened in Russia.
China retains a vision of a global financial market option beyond the dollar, and Xi plays that long-term strategy game with Putin quite effectively. It is only President Trump who holds the key to weakening that strategy, and Chairman Xi likely reminds everyone -through his emissaries- that they can wait out the Trump administration.
During the ASEAN conference, again we see President Trump drawing heavily on the personal factor as a part of his strategic influence operation to push distance between southeast Asia and Beijing. Cunning Panda can undoubtably see that play, however, culturally they may underestimate the strength of the dynamic. President Trump leverages the world’s biggest market with a smile. The world’s biggest sellers want and need to keep that smile on the face of their #1 customer.
Jamieson Greer, like Scott Bessent, outwardly show their respect for this intrapersonal dynamic that President Trump uses in these negotiations, and it is very interesting to watch the recipients of President Trump’s praise remain positioned to receive it.
President Donald Trump is a friendly dealmaker, until he is not. Southeast Asia understands this dynamic very well.
It is a pleasure to watch the U.S. economic team circle the concentric interests into alignment and then stand back and let the closer finish the deals.
Good stuff.
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