US won’t turn blind eye to unfair trade, Trump tells Apec CEOs
US president lays out his vision for the ‘Indo-Pacific’, saying America is not willing to accept rules that go against its interests
US President Donald Trump said the United States would continue to be partners of the Indo-Pacific region but would no longer accept rules that undermined American interests.
Addressing the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation CEO Summit in Da Nang, Vietnam, on Friday, Trump said countries in the region had thrived over the years at the expense of the US.
“While we opened our market to others, other economies didn’t open their market to us,” he said.
Trump said the US would make a bilateral trade agreement with any of the Indo-Pacific nations that abided by the principle of fair and reciprocal trade.
“Those who will do will be our best partners. Those who will not do, the US will not turn a blind eye to their violations,” he said.
“We will be friends, partners, allies of the Indo-Pacific region for a long time to come.”
During his Asia tour, Trump has discussed his “Indo-Pacific” concept – an alliance of the US, Japan, Australia and India – with leaders on each stop.
Vietnam is the fourth stop on the tour and follows the US leader’s three-day trip to Beijing, where he held talks with his Chinese counterpart Xi Jinping.
Trump said he discussed a wide range of issues with Xi on Thursday, including tackling trade disputes.
He said he did not blame China for its trade surplus with the US, but added that the “whole world is lifted by America’s renewal”.
Additional reporting by Teddy Ng
