ZCZC
BCN-07
UN-ASSEMBLY-US-CANADA-TRADE
Trump says refused to meet Canada’s Trudeau at UN
NEW YORK, Sept 27, 2018 (BSS/AFP) – US President Donald Trump confirmed
Wednesday that he had refused to meet Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau
on the sidelines of the UN General Assembly, accusing Canada of treating the
United States “very badly.”
“Yeah, I did,” he told a news conference in New York when asked by a
reporter whether he had rejected a one-on-one meeting with Trudeau. “Canada
has treated us very badly.”
That came after the incident on Tuesday in which Trump appeared to rebuff
Trudeau when he approached to shake hands, even though the Canadian leader
downplayed the incident.
The two nations have been locked in negotiations for a year on a rewrite
of the 25-year-old continental trade deal that Trump blames for losses of US
jobs and industry.
But the US leader criticized Canada’s trade negotiators and cast doubt on
the chances of reaching agreement on a rewrite of the North American Free
Trade Agreement (NAFTA), again threatening to impose tariffs on all auto
imports.
“I must be honest with you, we’re not getting along with their negotiators
we think their negotiators have taken advantage of our country for a long
time,” Trump said.
Canada’s Foreign Minister Chrystia Freeland has spent much of the last
month in Washington for talks with US Trade Representative Robert Lighthizer
and repeatedly commented on the progress being made and the goodwill in the
negotiations.
Trump once again complained about Canada’s controlled dairy market,
although his comments referred to tariffs that do not apply to US products.
– Tax on cars –
“They have treated our farmers in Wisconsin and New York state and a lot
of other states very badly,” he said. “How do you sell a dairy product at 300
percent (tariff)?”
US producers actually sell more dairy product to Canada than they import,
and the 300 percent tariff only applies to goods above the quota, which the
US does not meet, according to trade experts.
The two sides also are at odds over the dispute resolution provisions in
NAFTA.
The White House reached a deal last month with Mexico and informed
Congress of the intention to sign a new agreement by the end of November,
before the new president takes office in Mexico.
But Lighthizer on Tuesday said time was running out for Canada to be
included, and Mexico’s trade negotiator Kenneth Smith Ramos said the two
countries are ready to proceed.
“Now, if Canada doesn’t make a deal with us, we’re going to make a much
better deal. We’re going to tax the cars that come in,” he said. “We will put
billions and billions of dollars into our Treasury. And frankly, we’ll be
very happy.”
“I don’t like NAFTA. I never liked it. It’s been very bad for the United
States. It’s been great for Canada. It’s been great for Mexico. Very bad for
us,” Trump said.
BSS/AFP/HR/0920