The head of the World Trade Organization said he understands that President Donald Trump wants to create U.S. jobs, but warns that getting tough on trade can trigger a “domino effect” that could derail such goals in the first place.
Speaking to The Associated Press, Roberto Azevedo waded delicately into the possible impact of a simmering U.S.-China dispute involving tit-for-tat tariffs that could escalate into a trade war with consequences for the global economy.
Brazilian Roberto Azevedo, Director General of the World Trade Organization, WTO, speaks during a press briefing about the WTO’s World Trade Report 2017 at the headquarters of the World Trade Organization, WTO, in Geneva, Switzerland, Thursday, April 12, 2018. (Martial Trezzini/Keystone via AP)Asked if he could understand Trump supporters who want to see U.S. manufacturing jobs return home, Azevedo said that “every country, every leader” wants to create jobs, improve work conditions and improve salaries.
But, he said, “actions that you take are not the end of the process” but can prompt retaliation.
“And that kind of domino effect may have implications that will undermine your original goals,” he said.