Question

The main tenet of mercantilism was that it was in a country's best interest to maintain a trade

Answer 1

This is one of the main principles of mercantilism.

It states that a country's interest should be there in maintaining the surplus of the trade, this way it can gather more wealth, prestige, and also power.

And so, it is always better to export more than to import.

This way, a country's presence can be felt everywhere.