Commerce Secretary Nominee Criticizes South Korea and Japan for Exploiting U.S. Trade Policies

General


Washington: President Donald Trump’s nominee for commerce secretary has accused South Korea and Japan of exploiting America’s “good nature” in trade relations, emphasizing the necessity for collaboration to relocate production to the United States.

According to Yonhap News Agency, Howard Lutnick, a prominent businessman, made these remarks during a Senate confirmation hearing. He highlighted issues with steel products from Japan and appliances from South Korea while responding to a senator’s inquiry on fostering an environment conducive to joint ventures with U.S. allies. Lutnick stated, “Our great allies have taken advantage of our good nature, and they like steel in Japan and appliances in Korea … I mean, they’ve just taken advantage of us. It’s time for them to partner with us and bring that production back home,” during his address to the Senate Committee on Commerce, Science and Transportation.

Lutnick elaborated on the strategy to enhance manufacturing productivity by working closely with allies. H
e emphasized the importance of collaboration, saying, “So I think we’re going to work closely with our allies to increase their manufacturing productivity at home, and I think your way of thinking about it saying let’s work together to do that and bring it home … I think it’s really important for us, and really important for our workforce.”

In November, President Trump nominated Lutnick, who is the chairman and CEO of Cantor Fitzgerald, to serve as commerce secretary. If confirmed, Lutnick is expected to lead the tariff and trade initiatives of the new administration.