On the 26th (local time), U.S. President-elect Donald Trump nominated Jamison Greer (44, photo), a lawyer at Kings & Spalding, as the representative of the U.S. Trade Representative (USTR) in the next administration.

Greer is a former chief of staff to former USTR representative Robert Lighthizer, who designed the Trump administration’s trade policy. Along with Lighthizer, he participated in trade negotiations with China during the Trump administration and contributed to imposing high tariffs on Chinese products and making China promise to purchase American products. He was appointed as a replacement chief of staff for the U.S. side during the renegotiation of the Korea-U.S. Free Trade Agreement (FTA), and is a ‘warrior of reversal’ who also participated in the process of changing the North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA) into the U.S.-Mexico-Canada Agreement (USMCA).

◆“We will not leave the Korea-US FTA as is”

In a statement that day, President-elect Trump introduced, “Jamieson imposed tariffs on China and other countries to fight unfair trade practices, and replaced the failed NAFTA with USMCA, which is more beneficial to American workers.”

He also said that under Lighthizer, he “accelerated the recovery of American manufacturing jobs and reversed the disastrous trade policies of the past several decades,” adding that he would “protect American manufacturing, agriculture, and service industries and strengthen export markets around the world.” “It will allow USTR to focus on controlling America’s huge trade deficit,” he said.

Greer has shown strong protectionist tendencies through several articles, media interviews, and testimony before the National Assembly. In particular, he is a firm hardliner on China. In testimony submitted to Congress last May, he said, “The trade policy with China until 2016 (before Trump took office) led to a decline in the U.S. manufacturing base and employment, and the U.S. became heavily dependent on China, and China took advantage of this advantage. “It was used to weaken China’s global leadership,” he pointed out. In this article, he stated that the Permanent Normal Trade Relations (PNTR) status granted to China should be withdrawn.

Even if he is an ally, his approach is not much different. Earlier this year, in an interview with a domestic media outlet, he said, “We will not leave the Korea-US FTA as is,” and added, “All trade agreements must be tailored to suit the needs of the United States.” He last March Hyundai MotorsWhen he visited Korea at the invitation of , he said, “I came to recognize that many Korean companies, such as Hyundai Motors, also contribute to the U.S. economy by creating quality jobs in the U.S.” However, referring to the US trade deficit with Korea, he maintained his position that the agreement should be ‘updated’, saying, “If there are sensitive issues in trade, it is not good for Korea in the long run.”

Last January, the Platform Fair Competition Promotion Act introduced by the Korea Fair Trade Commission was “Korea’s turn toward protectionism, violating its non-discrimination promise under the Korea-US FTA and the World Trade Organization (WTO) Agreement, and Washington’s policy on global trade.” “It could be an unnecessary provocation in a situation where support is weakened,” he wrote in the American media outlet Barron’s. In this article, he said, “Restricting American companies’ access to the Korean market is likely to cause a recurrence of the trade conflict,” and urged, “Korean officials should carefully consider whether it could threaten the stability of trade between the two countries.”

◆Also claimed that “Korea Platform Act increases trade conflict”

Bloomberg News evaluated that Greer’s nomination made it clear that Trump’s core economic agenda is ‘tariffs.’ With Greer’s nomination, the Trump administration’s next economic staff has been confirmed. The four people working together are Scott Bessent, founder of Key Square, a Wall Street graduate, as Secretary of the Treasury, Howard Rutnick, CEO of Canter Fitzgerald, as Secretary of Commerce, Greer, Lighthizer’s confidant, as USTR representative, and Kevin Hassett, Chairman of the National Economic Council (NEC). It’s a system. These people have different areas of focus, but they have strongly supported President-elect Trump’s high tariff policy.

Previously, President-elect Trump nominated Rutnick as Secretary of Commerce and announced that he would also oversee USTR. USTR is currently under the direct control of the White House and reports directly to the President. Even in the House and Senate of Congress, the Department of Commerce and USTR are under the jurisdiction of different committees. President-elect Trump attempted to integrate USTR with the Department of Commerce during his first term, but was unable to do so due to opposition from Congress. Rep. Richard Neal (Democratic Party), a member of the Ways and Means Committee that oversees USTR in the House of Representatives, told Politico, “USTR is an organization established by Congress, and dismantling (integrating) it must also be done through Congress.”

Washington = Correspondent Lee Sang-eun selee@hankyung.com