What is going on underneath the surface of Trump’s new deal?

Kaki Grishma Alekya | The Economist

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President Trump recently visited Singapore for a Press conference held at Temasek Polytechnic. The Journalists in question were the SG PREPMUN delegates, who each represented a news agency. But he could not give a proper answer to the younger generation. 

PREPMUN is a 4-day conference where delegates are allowed to understand what happens and takes place in UN press conferences. The Delegates here are students from various academic institutions, including secondary schools, Junior Colleges, Polytechnics, and universities. 

President Donald Trump had a press conference with the PREPMUN 2025 Press Corps. However, his words don't walk the walk. When asked about questions regarding the recent Phase One Trade Agreement, he responded that ‘any deal made with America is a good deal’. But later, when asked about it by another delegate, he expressed to the young press that he is not sure about the truce. 

Another instance where inconsistency in his speech was displayed was when a delegate asked about how he felt about the deal. He replied that ‘A deal made by America is a good deal’. But, when asked by a delegate about how America can protect itself if the agreement fails, he claims that he is not sure of the capability of the country against China. 

This made the whole agreement sound sceptical. This posed a simple question amongst the other delegates. What's going on? Honestly, after looking through the speech made by Trump, here are a few points that may affect various countries. 

The Phase One Trade Agreement mainly caters to American businesses instead of American jobs. When asked why the agreement caters to the needs of the Chinese government instead of American consumers, Mr Trump stated that it protects American businesses; therefore, it was solved in his eyes.

The whole reason why this trade war started was shelved under his administration. Instead, it catered to the companies that provide Americans jobs, who not only have the opportunity to give jobs but also remove them. 

Moreover, countries that take China’s side after the Trade War are more likely to be subjected to Trump's active, public criticism. They may also face side effects which are the American government’s gimmicks. Those gimmicks are most likely to be increased tariffs and such. Countries that are cooperative are countries that have “stopped exploiting” America. President Trump uses Japan as an example, consistently calling it a cooperative country. 

The peace between the 2 countries may also end soon. Trump disclosed that he doesn’t see a future in the Phase One Agreement, because of China being hesitant to help the U.S. If China takes the path that they are supposedly taking, this might result in an even bigger conflict between the 2 countries. 

Trump told them that the whole conflict started because China exploited gang violence. It’s true, as according to the ProPublica Article, Chinese Organised Crime has been dominating the Illegal Marijuana marketing in Early 2024. Though Triads (a secret society originating in China, typically involved in organized crime) have been historically anti-government, in modern times they have political power. 

The ending of this trade war determines who thrives in the next chapter and who is left to repair the consequences of their actions. If the U.S. does not make a move soon, it might slowly lose its global market, and not only will there be a loss of American jobs, but also a huge loss for American businesses. 

Bibliography

Rotella, Sebastian, Kirsten Berg, Garrett Yalch, and Clifton Adcock. “Gangsters, Money and Murder: How Chinese Organized Crime Is Dominating America’s Illegal Marijuana Market.” ProPublica, April 3, 2024. https://www.propublica.org/article/chinese-organized-crime-us-marijuana-market.

Vines, Stephen. “Chinese Rule Boosts Hong Kong Triads | the Independent.” The Independent, March 22, 1998. https://www.independent.co.uk/news/chinese-rule-boosts-hong-kong-triads-1151782.html.