美国财长：日本靠这招摆平贸易协议 与欧盟贸易谈判“有进展”！

Group 1 - The U.S. Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent stated that it is uncertain whether the EU can achieve a trade agreement similar to Japan's, emphasizing that Japan's success was due to its "innovative financing arrangement" [1] - Japan managed to reduce its tariffs from 25% to 15% through negotiations, which included a $550 billion fund for investment in the U.S. [1] - Bessent downplayed reports of the EU planning to impose a 30% retaliatory tariff on approximately €100 billion (about $117 billion) of U.S. goods, suggesting it is a negotiation strategy [1] Group 2 - Bessent mentioned that the EU's trade surplus with the U.S. means that any escalation in trade issues would have a more severe impact on the EU [2] - He indicated that there is no rush to determine the successor to Federal Reserve Chairman Jerome Powell, with potential candidates including current board members and regional Fed presidents [2] - Bessent confirmed that the process for selecting Powell's successor is underway, but emphasized that it will ultimately be President Trump's decision [2] Group 3 - Bessent expressed surprise at Mohamed El-Erian's call for Powell to resign, stating that an internal review of the Fed's activities could benefit both Powell and the institution [3] - He noted that the expansion of the Fed's functions is jeopardizing its monetary policy independence and suggested that an internal review could be a good starting point [3] - Regular meetings and ongoing communication between Bessent and the Federal Reserve Chairman are still taking place [3]