**EU, Indonesia, and Others Actively Pursue Trade Agreements without the U.S.**
*Ursula von der Leyen, President of the European Commission, at the Mercosur Summit in Montevideo, Uruguay on December 6th of last year (Montevideo, Uruguay Reuters=Yonhap News)*
“Nations are seeking ways to thrive through trade agreements that do not include the U.S. due to President Donald Trump’s ‘America First’ policy.”
“According to the New York Times on the 3rd (local time), President Trump had announced a ‘25% blanket tariff’ on Canada and Mexico but decided to delay its implementation. Major countries, including allies, are concerned about the possibility of U.S. tariff imposition.”
“The European Union, identified as a possible next target, has concluded three trade agreements in the past two months.”
“The EU finalized a free trade agreement (FTA) with the Southern Common Market (MERCOSUR) on December 6th of last year, marking the first in 25 years, and agreed on the launch of a large single market encompassing both regions.”
“Two weeks later, the EU signed an agreement to strengthen trade relations with Switzerland and agreed to enhance the trade agreement with Mexico for the first time in 25 years on January 17th.”
“The EU also resumed FTA negotiations with Malaysia after a 13-year hiatus.”
“Ursula von der Leyen, President of the European Commission, stated at the recent World Economic Forum (WEF, Davos Forum) that ‘We enforce the rule of law, and our agreements have no hidden clauses.'”
“Indonesia joined BRICS, an alliance of emerging economies led by China and Russia, last month.”
“The 10 ASEAN countries and the six countries of the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) are scheduled to hold a summit in Malaysia in May, with China expected to attend.”
“The UK joined the Comprehensive and Progressive Agreement for Trans-Pacific Partnership (CPTPP) in December last year and is seeking to improve relations with the EU, whom it parted with due to Brexit.”
“Brazil and Mexico are also discussing expanding the scope of trade agreements.”
“Jakob Kirkegaard, a senior fellow at the Peterson Institute for International Economics (PIIE), commented that ‘the deepening of trade relations excluding the U.S. is noteworthy,’ considering recent U.S. policy stances, calling it a ‘second-best option.'”
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