Photo : YONHAP News
U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio said that once the United States has imposed tariffs on its major trading partners it could engage in bilateral talks with countries on new trade arrangements. Rubio made the remarks on Sunday in an interview with CBS, saying that the U.S. would “reset the baseline” to ensure it was treated fairly. Rubio continued that from that new baseline of fairness and reciprocity, the U.S. would engage in bilateral negotiations with countries around the world on new trade arrangements that make sense for both sides. South Korea, which has a free trade agreement with the U.S., is unlikely to be an exeption. As for U.S. President Donald Trump’s plan to impose reciprocal tariffs, Rubio said that other countries don’t like the tariffs because the current trade conditions are good for them.
Rubio added that the U.S. doesn’t like the status quo and is going to set a new status quo, and then it can negotiate something if other countries want to.