On trade, America can’t be first if it does not compete with others

US President Donald Trump. [Photo: Courtesy]

Around the world, countries are working overtime to get an economic edge by striking new trade deals. The United States, meanwhile, sits on the sidelines. President Donald Trump’s protectionist approach and laser-focus on China may have played well on the stump, but it will leave the American workers who ushered him into office at a disadvantage.

The Trump administration is right to keep an eye on China. In his State of the Union address on Tuesday, Trump again promised ‘strong enforcement of our trade rules’. But while trade enforcement is important, it’s only one aspect of a robust American trade policy. What the president needs to do now is focus on a new kind of global competition that is undercutting opportunities for America.