Those numbers may surprise some as an entirely counter-intuitive outcome because one would normally expect the U.S. exports to China, and the rest of the Pacific Rim, to grow much faster than American sales to Europe.

Why? Simply because the Pacific Rim economies are growing at a rate of 5 percent — with China marking a 6.7 percent growth in the first three quarters of this year — while Europe is barely eking out 2 percent GDP growth.

In spite of that, the U.S. is doing much better in the slow-growing European markets than in the strongly expanding markets routinely called by raving observers as the "future of the world economy."

What's the problem? Why is the U.S. taking a beating in markets where it should be making a mint?

Here is a thought: Isn't that part of what U.S. President Donald Trump never tires of calling a "rip-off" of the U.S. economy? A decades-old outrage neglected and tolerated by Washington?

And does that strike you like something Trump is trying to stop and reverse with his "free, fair and reciprocal trade" amid a chorus of catcalls — led by official international organizations richly funded by Washington — that he is killing the so-called "free and multilateral" trading system?

The answer seems clear. The U.S. is selling more to the lackluster European economies than to the Pacific Rim — those "dynamic" Asian economies — because the European markets are much more open and accessible to American companies.

So, the trade policy conclusion for Washington should be a proverbial "no brainer." Just tweak a few things with Europeans to even out the playing field. The Pacific Rim, however, is an entirely different story.

That's where the U.S. needs a root and branch review of tariff and non-tariff trade barriers, trade practices, comity and basic rules of reciprocity.