The administration of US President Donald Trump wants to conclude 90 commercial agreements within 90 days, but the challenges for ending the trade war quickly are already clear.
On Monday, European Union Trade Commissioner Marus Sevkovic will be among the first foreign trade officials who will come to Washington to conduct urgent negotiations on the high customs duties announced by Trump on April 2.
The European Union is among the largest partnerships of the United States, with the volume of trade between them about a trillion dollars last year.
But when Civkovic arrives in Washington, the Trump’s Serbian Service negotiator, the Secretary of Treasury Scott Besent, will be in Buenos Aires to show support for economic reforms in Argentina, although the total value of its annual trade with the United States is only 16.3 billion dollars.
The absence of Pesent on Monday strengthens doubts among trade experts in the extent of the American administration’s ability to organize this large number of simultaneous negotiations and opportunities to reach 90 agreements in 90 days in general.
“Preparing to make these decisions will require serious negotiations … It is impossible to reach a comprehensive agreement during this period with any of these countries,” said Wendy Katler, the chief negotiator for the American commercial actor, and is now chairing the Asian Society Policy Institute.
White House Trading Adviser, Peter Navarro, said in statements to Fox Business on Friday, saying that Besent, American commercial actor Jimson Jarir and Minister of Trade Howard Lottenic can accomplish the mission, and continued, “So, we will grow 90 agreements within 90 days. This is possible.”
He added, in the end, Trump, “The leader … will be the chief negotiator. Nothing will be accomplished without looking at it very carefully.”
Trump began the countdown to the ninety day last week when the application of the high customs duties imposed on many countries was suspended after financial markets witnessed a collapse due to fears of economic recession and inflation, among other factors. He said that the suspension of the 90 -day fees would allow countries to reach bilateral agreements with the United States.
And the restoration of the trust of the financial markets is another very important goal during the ninety days. Investors sold US Treasury bonds last week, which led to an increase in interest rates and a decrease in the value of the dollar, amid fears of American economic recession and the return of inflation to rise. As for gold, safe haven for investors in times of crisis, it has recorded a high record.
Cataller said these disturbances would put pressure on the Trump team to achieve some quick victories.
“The burden will be upon them to show their ability to quickly conclude agreements with countries, and to spread some confidence in the market and other commercial partners that there is a way out,” she added.
Huge mission
The increasing friction with China has increased from darkering this situation during the past days. China did not get a new American customs duties exemption, and imposed anti -fees to the same extent.
Cataller said that reaching commercial agreements that satisfy Trump and the financial markets is a “huge task”.
She added that the Trump team will likely have to give priority to major countries and extend the period of suspension of the fees for 90 days for other countries.
It took more than 8 months to conclude the smallest Trump trade agreements during his first presidential term, and it was a review of the provisions related to cars and steel in the free trade agreement between the United States and South Korea.
The comprehensive trade agreement between the United States, Mexico and Canada took more than two years.
But the American commercial actor Jarir said, “We can reach a point in which the president can conclude these agreements.
Logistics needed to coordinate 90 negotiating rounds is only one obstacle to the administration that suffers from severe pressure.
Diplomats said that many major positions are still vacant, and that current officials are often busy with other tasks, pointing to the meeting of officials at the Treasury Ministry on Friday with officials from Ukraine to discuss the extremely important Maaden deal.
Jarir told Fox News that his 200 -employed team is “working around the clock” and exchanging proposals with their counterparts from other countries.
The Senate approved only another senior official in the Treasury, which is Michael Volwkander, Deputy Minister of Treasury. Trump has not yet nominated anyone for the position of Undersecretary for International Affairs, a major position currently occupied by a government employee as a job.
The American Trade Representative Office also relies heavily on government employees, as a number of positions of the major commercial representative are still vacant and require the approval of the Senate.
A second diplomatic source said that other complex factors are the ambiguity of American positions on commercial issues, noting that the Trump’s major commercial advisers have their own views.
Countries, including Britain and Australia, are holding trade talks with the Trump administration since its inauguration in January, but these discussions have not resulted in any results.
A diplomatic source said, “It is not as if there is a paper containing fixed dialogue points that are circulated … It is a process. I recommend using the term ‘conversations’ and not ‘negotiations’.
