When Are All the Bilateral Trade Agreements Coming?
We've heard many times now from Trump and his advisers that they will be pursuing bilateral trade agreements. For example, in withdrawing from the TPP, Trump said this:
it is the intention of my Administration to deal directly with individual countries on a one-on-one (or bilateral) basis in negotiating future trade deals.
The prospect of bilateral trade agreements is already keeping me occupied, as I've written about possible agreements with the UK (could take a while to start), Japan (could borrow heavily from the TPP), and the EU (don't get hung up on whether it is "bilateral," and don't give up on it).
But here's my question: When will we see these agreements?
There are two aspects to this question. First, when will the U.S. start negotiating these bilateral trade agreements? In 3 months? 6 months? A year?
And second, how long will it take to complete the negotiations? 1 year? 2 years? 3+ years?
Will we only get answers to these questions after USTR and other trade agencies are close to fully staffed?