U.S. ‘No More Mr. Nice Guy,’ Bush Warns

Vice President George Bush warned Asian nations Saturday that the United States is tired of unfair trading practices and will be more forceful in protecting U.S. rights.

“There’ll be no more Mr. Nice Guy,” Bush said during a Hong Kong stopover on his way home from a six-day visit to China. Still, he promised that President Reagan will continue to oppose protectionist measures.

“We are going to be much more vigorous in pursuit of fair trade under international law, of protecting U.S. rights,” Bush said.

“The United States will run this year a record $150-billion trade deficit,” he told a luncheon of the American Chamber of Commerce. “Almost half of this deficit is with Pacific Rim countries. Americans see many of those countries as eager to sell to the U.S. but determined to deny to all Americans equal access to their own markets. Americans are sick and tired of this kind of treatment,” Bush said.