国际英语新闻:Interview: Trade tensions impair multilateralism, tech access, says Uruguayan official

MONTEVIDEO, June 8 (Xinhua) -- Trade tensions spurred by Washington against its trading partners hurt multilateralism and affect small countries' access to technology, a Uruguayan official has said.

In the name of protecting domestic industries, the United States has placed steep tariffs on billions of U.S. dollars' worth of products from its major partners, including the EU, Canada, China and Japan, raising trade tensions around the world and shaking the foundation of the global trading system.

The move "shrinks multilateralism, especially in the World Trade Organization," and it's not a good scenario for other countries, Javier Miranda, president of the ruling Broad Front party of Uruguay, told Xinhua in a recent interview.

"The economy is effectively globalizing whether Trump likes it or not" because it is a development process of the production mode, he said.

"It's incredible that at this height of human development, when the process of globalization is inevitable, there is a retraction because of the phenomena of nationalism," Miranda said.

"Multilateral spaces are the most democratic because they articulate the collective interests," the official noted, adding that the application of unilateral tariffs by the United States will result in higher technology costs for developing countries.

Citing Uruguay as an example, he said the country, as an exporter of high-quality meat, relies on the technology that is behind the production of livestock. For instance, each cow has a chip in its ear, enabling people to trace the cow wherever it goes.

Miranda lamented that the trade frictions will make it more difficult for the South American country to get "access to technology markets because the technology products will become more expensive."

Miranda said he thinks the policy of (U.S. President Donald) Trump's administration in the medium term is "unsustainable," and the U.S. economy "is going to suffer as a result."

In addition, Miranda said he observed "an attitude by China that is open to dialogue" in the face of trade frictions with the United States, adding that China was a key factor in the revitalization of the global economy.