Trade Blame Game Deborah Elms of the Singapore-based Asian Trade Centre told a Washington audience this week that the U.S. flouting international trade rules is encouraging Asian countries to do likewise. This may be true if viewed in isolation, but then the inverse can also be said – Asia’s history of protectionism encouraged the U.S. to adopt similar intransigencies. After all, the number of dispute settlement cases against the U.S. has historically been proportional to its share of global commerce, whereas some other countries had caseloads in excess of their proportional contribution to trade. Importantly, the number of trade cases against the U.S. has increased substantially in concert with its expanded ill behavior. This...

TAGS – Asia, North America