It is very emotional and I'd add the following perspective
I have been embroiled in the heart of one of the nastier trade disputes we've had going in this country for the past 10+ years. 15-20 years ago, Vietnam did an incredible job starting an aquaculture industry with one of their "national" products -- the Pangasius fish. Long and complicated story regarding its background and how Vietnam built up this industry, but the bottom line is that it has become one of the bigger success stories in global food production from a developing country during the last several decades and it is something that Vietnam is exporting all over the world. The U.S. has absolutely spit in their face on this product -- over and over and over -- as this item has been targeted with a bullseye from the domestic catfish industry and a very narrow (but extremely powerful) set of politicians in those areas. The battle against Vietnam on this has been absolutely politically ruthless -- laced with everything from xenophobic and racist language to outright lies about the industry and product itself. We are late in the stages now of a battle that would effectively ban their product from import to this country (in addition to significant import duties that have already closed our market off to a big chunk of their producers). This would be very ugly under any circumstance -- a true embarrassment regarding our approach to any developing country anywhere in the world (not to mention one that actually has strong strategic value as a friend in that region). However, watching the images and thinking back about what was going on in that country just 40 years ago -- it is absolutely incredible and frankly shameless what we are doing to them now on an issue that may not get a lot of press here, but is of great national importance over there. There are actually a number of people working in this industry today in Vietnam who have vivid firsthand experience and memories from the war. As they have built a new life in the private sector, imagine what some of them are thinking now about the U.S. as some here do everything in their power to close off this market to them through any political means necessary and laced with ugly rhetoric.
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In response to this post by Hoogle.com)
Posted: 09/21/2017 at 1:11PM