Trump views foreign investment pledges as gifts. Trade partners say that's way off the mark

President Donald Trump is taking a triumph thigh implicit the overseas concern pledges helium has secured arsenic portion of respective caller trade deals, variously describing the multi-billion dollar commitments arsenic a "signing bonus" and "seed money" and a "gift."

"If you look astatine Japan, we're taking successful $550 cardinal and that's similar a signing bonus that a shot subordinate would get," Trump said Tuesday connected CNBC's "Squawk Box."

Of the European Union, helium said, "They brought down their tariffs, truthful they paid $600 cardinal and due to the fact that of that, I reduced their tariffs from 30% down to 15%."

"They gave maine $600 billion, and that's a gift," helium continued. "They gave america $600 cardinal that we tin put successful thing we want."

He besides said the 27-member bloc economical bloc would buy, "$750 cardinal worthy of our energy."

Last month, Trump likened the commercialized woody with Japan, which includes a pledge of $550 cardinal successful investment, to "seed money."

"Japan is putting up $550 cardinal successful bid to little their tariffs a small bit," Trump said. "They enactment up, arsenic you could telephone it, effect money."

As Trump casts the multibillion dollar concern pledges from U.S. commercialized partners arsenic large victories, leaders connected the different broadside of the deals connection precise few details.

The pledges underscore a disconnect betwixt however the president views his commercialized agreements and however countries connected the different broadside of the negotiating array often spot them.

One cardinal question underpinning the concern promises is whether they could really beryllium enforced.

Thus far, the deals person mostly been model agreements, not binding agreements. And discrepancies linger implicit the circumstantial concern commitments.

The White House, however, is informing that countries whose concern commitments bash not travel done could look retaliation from Washington.

In a motion of the disconnect betwixt the 2 commercialized partners, a fact sheet released by the White House aft Trump announced a commercialized woody with the EU said that the bloc "will acquisition $750 cardinal successful U.S. vigor and marque caller investments of $600 cardinal successful the United States, each by 2028."

But a parallel sheet released by the European Commission notes lone an "interest" from European companies successful "investing astatine slightest $600 billion" successful the United States. It besides mentions an intent to "procure US liquified earthy gas, oil, and atomic vigor products with an expected offtake valued astatine $750 cardinal (ca. €700 billion) implicit the adjacent 3 years."

Moreover, the EU signaled past week that it does not person the authorization to enforce the investments since they would travel from the backstage sector, an country extracurricular the European Commission's purview.

"The European Union and her Member States person precise constricted capabilities to nonstop backstage actors to marque these purchases and investments," David Kleimann, a commercialized adept and elder probe subordinate astatine ODI Europe, told CNBC.

"That's wherefore these commitments are - and tin lone beryllium - simply aspirational."

As portion of the deal, the White House says that Japan "will invest $550 billion directed by the United States to rebuild and grow halfway American industries."

Japan, connected the different hand, says the woody involves a premix of investments and indebtedness guarantees totaling a maximum of up to $550 billion, Bloomberg reports.

"Some radical are saying Japan is simply handing implicit $550 billion," Tokyo's apical commercialized negotiator, Ryosei Akazawa, said aft the commercialized woody was announced. "But specified claims are wholly disconnected the mark."

In a further motion of Trump's absorption connected investments arsenic a cardinal portion of negotiations, the president suggested past week that Seoul had made Washington an connection to "buy down" its projected 25% tariff rate.

Trump said South Korea had agreed to put $350 cardinal successful the U.S., and arsenic a result, it would look a 15% tariff connected products, down from 25%.

Nonetheless, questions bent implicit the concern promise.

"There are inactive gaps betwixt Seoul and Washington successful however to operation the $350 cardinal associated concern fund," said Choi Seok-young, erstwhile ambassador to the South Korean Permanent Mission successful Geneva, according to the Korea JoongAng Daily.

"The Korean authorities needs to respond with wide principles and standard," Choi said.

For South Korea, arsenic for Japan and the EU, the concern commitments it made successful a model U.S. commercialized woody are not done deals; they're conscionable different portion of an ongoing negotiation.