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Opinion

Trump right to focus on the US-China deficit

The tactic is bad economics but good politics, forcing Beijing to meet verifiable targets

| China
U.S. President Donald Trump's trade threats and promises are proving more credible than Chinese market opening pledges.   © Reuters

As the trade dispute between Washington and Beijing drags on, U.S. President Donald Trump is emerging with an unexpected advantage: credibility.

Trump famously makes bombastic threats and promises. But at least as far as trade is concerned, he has largely made good on them. Just as he promised, he has withdrawn from the Trans-Pacific Partnership, opened up trade pacts with Canada, Mexico and South Korea for renegotiation and erected tariffs on a range of foreign goods.

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