By Vivian Salama

President Trump is expected to call for the reform of the international trade system in his second address to the United Nations General Assembly on Tuesday, and he will ask that countries collectively work to ensure that global trade works for the prosperity of all.

No longer a stranger to the international stage, Mr. Trump has revised several international agreements since appearing before the annual gathering of world leaders last year, and has severed others. His unconventional -- and often defiant -- attitude toward international treaties and multilateral alliances rattled many countries around the world last year, provoking questions on how a globalized world would cope with a protectionist U.S.

On Tuesday, Mr. Trump will describe how his "America First" foreign policy vision offers a path toward mutual prosperity for the United States and its allies and will assert that the U.S. won't enter into agreements of any kind that force it to surrender its sovereignty, according to a White House spokesman.

Many of those attending this year's assembly have since gotten a taste of the hard-nosed negotiating tactics of this businessman-turned-president -- and are opting either to adapt or find alternatives.

While he has shown some flexibility in his insistence that trade deals be made on a bilateral basis, he continues to hammer some of America's closest allies and biggest trade partners with stiff steel and aluminum tariffs in the name of U.S. national security and assert a need for deals that deliver more reciprocal benefits.

Since last year's speech, Mr. Trump has pulled out of the Obama-era Iran nuclear accord and is in the process of reimposing sanctions on Tehran, ruffling feathers with many European allies who had been keen to explore Iran's untapped economic potential.

He has signed a new trade agreement with South Korea, reached a tentative agreement with Mexico, is negotiating a new one with Canada, and is hoping to pursue deals with the European Union and Japan. He threatened to walk away from America's closest allies in the Group of Seven alliance, boycotting its largely ceremonial communiqué over his trade dispute with Canada and the EU, although he eventually came around. He also has threatened to leave the World Trade Organization.

As his trade dispute with China comes to full blows, Mr. Trump is expected to hark back to his national-security strategy, in which his administration asserted the need for conditional cooperation -- particularly with competitors such as Russia and China. Mr. Trump repeatedly has accused China of engaging in unfair trade practices, including intellectual property theft.

Beijing abruptly canceled talks planned for this week, as the Trump administration imposed new 10% tariffs on $200 billion of Chinese exports starting Monday. Mr. Trump has vowed additional tariffs if China targets U.S. farmers.

China's President Xi Jinping isn't expected to attend the assembly.

Write to Vivian Salama at vivian.salama@wsj.com

(END) Dow Jones Newswires

September 25, 2018 08:16 ET (12:16 GMT)

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