• lemmy_outta_here@lemmy.world
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    2 days ago

    It’s true, i didn’t actually read the agreement.

    As for the trade deficit, I’m not sure it matters to a great extent. When a rich country tades with a poorer country it is normal for the rich country to be able to afford more imports than the poorer country. However, the trade deal can still benefit the country with the trade deficit. Our raw materials and goods will still find new markets because they will be more affordable to indonesians, and canadian consumers will have indonesian goodss for cheaper. we have a relative advantage for certain high tech and biomedical stuff, so we might see job growth in areas that we are already strong in. I don’t care if my cheap manufactured goods are made abroad as long as other jobs are created. Alan Greenspan had an interesting take on trade deficits: i don’t have time to find the quote, but it is along the lines of “we give them dollars and they give us actual real-world goods - seems like a good deal.” Trade is not a zero sum game - it can provide an advantage to both sides, even when one side benefits more.

    As for the deals being small compared to the us: there are no american-sized economies hidden under a rug or something. Carney can’t just make a new trading partner out of thin air. replacing US trade is a huge undertaking that will still be going when my children are dead of old age. Carney will not live long enough to fix everything, but it is wrong to say that he has done nothing.