April 17, 2018

Negotiate from a position of power

Topic: Issues

Dialogue with Daryl

A podcast by NDFB President Daryl Lies

April 17, 2018: When it comes to tariffs and trade, we shouldn't be hitting the panic button just yet.

Download the Trade and tariffs mp3

Read the transcript:

Trade, tariffs and tangible changes. Everybody knows that trade is extremely important to the number one industry in North Dakota, that being agriculture. Having said that, we don’t believe now is the time to hit the panic button.

Any time there are negotiations, there are extremes put out by both sides of the negotiating table. But if they don’t put those extremes out, there’s no reason to come to the table.

Yes. Trade is important. No. Tariffs are not good for the consuming public, no matter what country you’re from. And, we need tangible changes. We need corrections. We need an equitable trade. And that, I think, is what goal is of this administration.

I think President Trump and his team that works on trade, are looking for an equitable position. He hasn’t pulled the welcome mat away. In fact, we encourage him laying the welcome mat out saying, “We want to trade with you.” But we do not want to lay down as the welcome mat, which in many cases, that is exactly what we have done in decades of trade negotiations.

So, put the welcome mat out, but don’t lay down and become that welcome mat that they step on. We have to start from a position of power. We have to start with a grandiose plan, and in the end, when cooler heads prevail, negotiations are finished, we hope we have tangible changes to make things more equal on the cost to ship our goods to these other countries, and also the restrictions that are placed on them that aren’t monetary restrictions, but yet they are quotas, they are quality conditions that change the game for us in America compared to other countries.

So, at the end of the day, let’s talk about whether the tangible changes are going to be equitable, and if we get that equity, it’ll be very good for North Dakota agriculture.

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