Selling/trading with other empires

[RhinoDad]

Sorry for what is probably another silly question but I have not found an answer or at least been able to put the pieces together.

It seems you can not restrict trade with other empires. With no trade treaty various freighters come and load up on resources. Often to the detriment of your empire, such as selling strategic resources to a threat or rival that are often in short supply that will be used to build the ships that you will be fighting in the near future. This while limiting ones ability to build ships that would be nice to fight them.

At the same time there are trade treaties in the diplomacy screen that basically seem to limit what can be traded and what amounts to something of a tariff on the resources.

Sorry but I can not figure out how an empire can not be restricted in what they can purchase whilst simultaneously restricting what they can purchase from you.

Sure I must be missing something but can not figure if it is better to have a low level trade treaty with someone you know will be declaring war on you, or that you wish to go to war with soon. Or not to have a treaty with them or to take other action to mitigate the damage done by selling the rope that they will shortly try to hang you with.

[iancmtaylor]

There is trade restriction mechanic yet. It exists in DW1 and the Haakonish are very fond of it.