August 8, 2019 — I responded to 9 questions in an interview today with Chosun Ilbo. They concern the US-China trade war and the new simultaneous dispute between Korea and Japan.
- The trade war between the world’s two largest economies continues and it appears the war is spilling over to currency now. What do you think are the fundamental reasons for this conflict?
JF It was legitimate for the outside world to ask China to make some changes. But we did not sit down in a responsible manner with China’s leaders to negotiate. The reason for the trade war is that an ignorant and reckless man by chance became president of the United States. He has aggressively raised tariffs against China as well as other trading partners. He has departed from past international commitments, from good economic policy and even from basic deal-making tactics.