Clete Willems Speaks with Media on Latest in Trade Talks with China, Japan
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Clete Willems, who joins Akin Gump next month as a partner in its public law and policy practice (click here to learn more), has been quoted by several media outlets regarding ongoing trade talks between the United States and China. Willems is a former international economics advisor to President Trump who most recently led the White House Office of International Economic Affairs.
In its story “U.S.-China Trade Talks Will End With a Deal, Former Negotiator Says,” The Wall Street Journal quotes Willems as telling an audience at the Journal’s CEO Council, that there is “a strong contingent of reformers in China that want change.”
Recent moves by Washington and Beijing to increase tariffs on each other’s exports have made the timeline for a trade deal more uncertain and Willems said an upcoming meeting of the G20 in Japan was probably too soon for an agreement, but he thinks intensive talks to reach a deal will continue.
“The President will maintain a strong sense of resolve because of the way the economy will look like in 10 years if these problems aren’t resolved,” said Willems.
Underscoring that point, Willems told The Hill for the article “Trump, China and trade: Who blinks first?” that President Trump “is not planning on backing down on this issue until he gets a result that addresses the long-standing, unfair trade practices the Chinese are engaging in. President Trump is going to see this one through until the end.”
Even though talks have grown contentious in recent months, administration officials, according to Willems, hope a deal can eventually be reached. Still, though, he said it is critical for Washington to convince Beijing it is not “somehow trying to exert control over China” and allow Chinese President Xi Jinping to save face — something it has thus far failed to do.
Speaking with American Public Radio’s Marketplace for the story “Are the Trump tariffs working as intended?” Willems explained that President Trump’s actions with regard to tariffs, in many cases, has been “as a means of leverage.” Mr. Trump, he said, “is willing to keep at the current strategy as long as it takes to ensure that China starts playing by the rules.”
Willems also expressed optimism about a U.S. trade deal with Japan, saying that President Trump’s delaying of a decision on whether to impose new auto tariffs on Japan and other countries showed he was hopeful of reaching an agreement with Tokyo. The Wall Street Journal article “Trump to Press for Trade Deal in Trip to Japan” quotes Willems as saying that autos need to be handled delicately but that under a staged approach the two sides could reach agreement on less contentious items first.