Jamieson Greer, the representative of the Office of the United States Trade Representative (USTR), said on the 1st (local time) that there may be only a few possible trade agreements with the target countries.
In an interview with Fox Business, Greer responded to the question, 'How many additional agreements are expected by the end of this year?' by saying, 'It depends on President Donald Trump.'
Greer stated, 'We do not need more complicated negotiations,' adding that 'the tariffs announced (recently) are agreements themselves, and they are the conditions for trade.'
However, he noted, 'President Trump will review by country and decide what is reasonable,' and that he agreed that if there are other plans that include investment, purchases, and market openings for the U.S., negotiations could take place.
Greer emphasized, 'President Trump's view is that a tariff might be better than making trade agreements.' He suggested that Trump judged it better to apply the new mutual tariff rates as long as countries like Korea, Japan, and the European Union do not make large-scale investments in the U.S.
Greer mentioned on CNBC that for countries with which agreements have already been made, 'actually implementing market openings and keeping investment and purchasing commitments are prerequisites,' adding that if compliance is not maintained, the USTR could 'reimpose tariffs back to previous levels.'