TOKYO - Three in four Japanese companies expect U.S.-China trade frictions to last until at least late this year, a sharp contrast to market hopes that presidents Donald Trump and Xi Jinping might soon strike a deal to end their damaging trade war, a Reuters poll found.
The trade war between the global titans - Japan’s key export markets - has already curbed world trade, dealing a blow to the export-reliant Japanese economy. Japanese manufacturers depend heavily on customers in China to buy their products, especially the parts and equipment that reach China’s factories and fuel its domestic and export growth.
Compared with a similar survey in October, in which one-third of firms said they were affected by the trade war, the latest poll found 52 percent were being hit. Those who want the central bank to unwind its easing fell to 27 percent from 45 percent in a January 2018 poll, while the share wanting it to hold steady rose to two-thirds from 49 percent.
What do the Japanese know that the US doesn't? Reuters poll says 31% expect the trade war to end by the second 1/2 of this year. 45% expect it to persist to 2020 or beyond. Maybe someone should tell Trump his negotiations don't seem to be going as well as he keeps telling you