Please Google FDA Import Refusal Reports, select month and year, select China (drop down menu). You’ll see detailed reports where the FDA turned back different foods and medical devices and supplies, dietary supplements, the Chinese producer, the product and reason for banning it.
Some Reasons: filth, decomposed, rancid food, contamination, adulteration, mislabeling, salmonella, melamine in candy, pesticides in oranges, tilapia containing harmful chemicals, etc.
China’s middle class citizens try not to buy this stuff in China - so why would we? Stop buying this junk. It’s a health hazard.
Tariff the heck out of everything from China.
If it was free I would not take it.
2
Instead of going negative by raising prices on goods that used to be made here but are now made in China, how about offering incentives to American manufacturers to resume making stuff here?
3
Forget politics! This guy should be removed.
1
Both Xi and Trump.
2
Maybe I exaggerate the causes of ww2. But the planet seems doomed to repeat that failure. Tariffs in 1930 (Smoot-Hawley) helped inflation and the Great Depression to spiral out of control leading to the death of millions. Oh and don’t forget nationalism! Thanks to our president and a congress that needs to stand up to this tyrant with legislation, maybe we will get Ww3. Congress please, stop this train wreak
2
Trump is a coward. He's quick to criticize others.
However, he is refusing to call China on its cyber intrusions to the US, which has been our major problem, which has has hugely impacted trade, as well as our national security.
All of the other stuff, while important, doesn't rise to Trump's inability to handle this issue.
However, it will substantially and negatively, impact our costs which will ultimately be passed onto all of us.
2
Does this mean i now have to pay a fair price for products instead of low prices resulting from exploitation of foreign workers? Im aghast!
3
China could target "Trump" states like Wisconsin, Michigan, Pennsylvania, North Carolina, Florida, Ohio and any others that might flip in 2020.
3
I had to stop myself before submitting the comment "GO CHINA!!" Is that what they call Trump Derangement Syndrome? Unless impeachment and conviction follow in short order I'm afraid that I'll lose my bearings entirely under the influence of TDS.
3
It is in the Chinese people's interest to steal trade secrets from the US, or require US companies manufacturing in China to share their manufacturing secrets with Chinese companies. China cheats. Their whole society is very practical: cheat until you are forced to stop cheating. It is Ayn Rand's philosophy to act ONLY in your own interest. But it is not ethical by American standards, we consider it cheating and selfish, so America must cut trade ties with China, and American consumers must go elsewhere for manufactured goods. I wonder what Tim Cook of Apple thinks of this ethical dilemma.
3
He’s diversifying his supply chain. Taiwan is a safe bet.
2
Simple observation: we have a trade deficit with China (and many other counties) because Americans want the things they make. In most cases they are better and less-expensive than what is available here. Now Trump is forcing US to pay more, taxes that he falsely says are costing China but are coming out of OUR pockets, for his insane political distraction. Remember the wall that Mexico was going to pay for, or do you choose to ignore that like his hypocritical base?
EVERYONE would do so much better if we approached our lives ethically and globally. Engage in bargaining with diplomacy and reasonably, not Sweeney Todd or The Hulk. There is neither trust there nor stability, and since we are about to flip America back to sanity, the next President will have a very rocky road due to the distrust that Trump and his thugs have created. This all takes time and it is consistent with Trump’s psychopathy that he bullies his way toward an impossible “in the moment”, irrational resolution.
Throw the bum out before he does us in. China, and your children, will thank you.
4
The focus has all been on Trump but there needs to be a greater light shone on the architect of current US Trade Policy, Robert Lighthizer. This is a man who believes that the original tenets of the Republican Party (from 160 years ago) are still applicable today.
What white old men such as Lighthizer (and others in organisations like the Federalist Society) fail to understand is that time does not stand still and societies evolve. Almost every economy in the world is vastly different to the 18th century when protectionist policies probably made sense.
Further, they tend to pick and choose policies that suit their particular agenda, forgetting that single policies or actions never operate in a vacuum.
https://www.washingtontimes.com/news/2011/may/9/donald-trump-is-no-liberal-on-trade/
https://www.nytimes.com/2008/03/06/opinion/06iht-edlighthizer.1.10774536.html
Duties (Tariffs) = hidden taxes on consumers. IF there was a viable domestic manufacturing base to be protected that could supply goods at fair prices then you might say yeah, I am ok with protecting domestic manufacturing IF they are producing competitive goods at fair prices. However in this case, this is just economic brinkmanship and it only hits consumers right in the wallet as for most goods there are no domestic suppliers. And for the record, unless negotiated, China, does not pay anything, importers of record pay the duties, which are then are passed onto and paid by Americans.
1
We just do not buy anything made in China.
"A factory in the eastern Chinese City of Dongguan. China's factories have already been hurt by the trade war with the United State"
I am shocked, absolutely shocked.
Lordstown's GM factory was not only "hurt" it was eliminated by the trade with China.
As was the Ford factory in Wayne, Michigan
What goes around comes around
1
Trump is not starting the trade war due to trade imbalances, it is leverage against their theft of IP from corporations and universities.
3
When you read the current history, you read about 45-50 million people dying from a famine, or 2-3 million people executed and killed during Mao's takeover of China.
I don't think that the Chinese will cave in so fast, and will retaliate to counteract the penalties that trump is placing on them. Moreover, the penalties will most certainly Americans as the price of any tariffs will be added to the cost of production in China.
I can’t tolerate Trump’s attempts to become a Dictator but someone had to do something about China. Corporate America sold out Americans when it rushed to China for cheap labor under the guise of “globalization.” The American worker has failed to see any benefits from globalization as evidenced by a decade of economic “growth” without any meaningful wage growth. The standard of living for the average American continues to decline.
7
I read somewhere that Chinese tourism spending in the USA accounts for 11% of spending in the USA.
Someone needs to track tourism spending since the Trump trade wars started.
Tourism is one of NZ's biggest income earners and people forget that is no different to exporting to China; tourism is equivalent to export earnings.
There's other areas of society that all these trade wars can affect and the incomes of those USA citizens that rely on tourists for their income.
1
It is not about the money. There’s much more at stake.
It's all about real estate with Trump. American farmers, growers and livestock producers are suffering and some will be forced out. Their land will become available and will be bought up by
corporate food producers and equity funds at
reduced value. The tariffs will hurt the little guy most and big money will further consolidate
acquisitions. The consumer will suffer.
That is the Trump way.
3
U.S. companies' supply chains are thoroughly integrated with Chinese manufacturers. It is too late to untie the knot. Our president is cutting off our nose to spite our face. This can only end badly.
2
Although we have a loser as President that doesn't have a clue, the American people should realize that tariffs will not seriously hurt China. They seem to forget that China is a Communist Country where people do not have the right to complain like we do. What Trump has done is put a slight dent in the Chinese economy that we the People will have to pay for.
America, if you want a robust economy that is not just numbers that benefit the rich, get rid of the main stumbling block (and I mean stumbling), TRUMP.
4
Sorry to say this but the Americans will lose double on this trade war. First you will have to pay the higher prices for all the consumer goods because you have no alternatives , second you will have to pay your farmers at least another 12 billion to help them. It's stupid to start a trade war when your biggest exports are oil, gas and agrar culture products. Anybody can produce them and China can easily switch to other suppliers.
6
China should slap tariffs on coal, lumber, food, oil, metals, and cement from the US. They can buy all they need elsewhere.
1
It is foolish of Trump to test the Chinese because it will expose weaknesses in the USA economic markets and show them where the USA weakest parts are in their trade deals then focus on them. Chinese will probably come out of this trade war with more money. And don't expect other sovereign nations to pick sides as we rely on China to buy our exports. Trump has even got into a trade war with Europe - how's that panning out now? Probably hasn't gone unnoticed by the Chinese. Trump is punching away blindly without a plan and it's not looking good for the future of USA government debt.
1
Remember in the 70s when all the cheap stuff was ‘made in Japan’? That was the out sourcing hub then. Then they figured it out and made an economy of their own. In steps China, this is Japan on steroids and North America is super addicted to cheap products. Shut down the factories and lay everyone off. Move them to China. We can get everything super cheap, so who really needs a job anymore? Unfortunately everyone needs one. We can’t just sit in lazy boys and have stuff handed to us. We also can’t just start making all the nuts and bolts that other countries do now for North Americans. We need to get offer something novel, innovative, and smart. Too bad our heads are buried in our Chinese-made cell phones.
1
China seems to have gone internationally in a separate direction from Trump's America toward more involvement with countries other than its own nation and the United States. Isn't that called diversification and isn't that one way to protect one's economic base? One day, we may wake and find that China has options in addition to the United States market, options of significant influence and economics.
3
David Frum from The Atlantic Monthly says Trump's move is weak. In a global economy you need to go to the bargaining table with other nations. The result will be about 6,000 items costing consumers more and it will drive cost of living. China will not lose in this deal. In a global economy - consumers lose and multinational corporations win. Until we deal inside the dynamics of today's global economy and not one leader's ego feeding anger in his base - we will be worse off.
3
If we refuse to buy Chinese products, the price and tariffs are unimportant.
1
I think Trump made a strategic mistake by engaging in a trade war with a country who makes so many products Americans are accustomed to buying on a daily basis.
China knows if they ride can out the next 18 months there's a good chance sanity will return to the WH. Especially if there's a downturn in the US economy. Which significant price increases will do to an economy that relies so heavily on consumer spending.
If Trump doesn't have the economy he has nothing. Don't be surprised if the Chinese are willing to take a temporary financial hit in order to bring about regime change in America.
I'm no fan of the Chinese government. But I don't blame them for this. I blame Trump's vanity for thinking he's untouchable.
5
The Trump tariffs will probably force me to lay of manufacturing employees. Like many US manufacturers, my company buys low cost, low valued-added components from Asia and turns them into high tech, high cost, high value-added products here in the USA. The last round of tariffs raised prices on most of our Asian made components, not just those from China. When Chinese prices go up, manufactures in other countries like Malaysia and Indonesia followed suit because their demand goes up. And I can’t simply raise my prices because my cost of goods has gone up. My top competitors follow essentially the same business model that I do, only they are based in Germany, France and the UK. So, their cost of goods is unaffected by these tariffs. This puts me in a very difficult position. My only way to reduce cost is to reduce my workforce and port more of my labor costs overseas. Yes, even to China. Even if I must pay a 25% premium on Chinese labor, I will still come out ahead. Chinese manufacturing workers get paid about $4 per hour. The tariffs raise that to $5 which is still far less than the $20 I’m paying for my lowest skilled employees. I might need do more quality control, but I can hire my own people in Hong Kong to do that as well. So, the tariffs will have exactly the opposite of their intended effect. They won’t bring more manufacturing job to America. They will force many American manufactures like my own to port even more jobs overseas.
13
Maybe someone should write an article on what's happening in the Chinese stock markets and compare and contrast with what's happening in the USA stock markets, at this moment in time. (Not forgetting when making this assessment, that most health and retirement schemes, for USA citizens, are dependant on a healthy balance in their share market portfolios.)
1
Trump's trade negotiating style has probably not changed much since he strong-armed brick suppliers or investors, back in the bankruptcy and massive loses days. I truly miss the steady Obama White House, when I didn't have to check every day to see what possible disaster awaits...
7
Ask any contractor in NYC about how Trump defrauded them. Those outside the City know little of this, but he was indeed infamous for his strong armed criminal behavior enabled by an army of lawyers. Nothing has changed, but now it is WE that are being defrauded.
5
Hear that brother.
The Chinese understand the lesson learned from the Vietnam War - that the mighty United States was not prepared to lose as much as required over an ideological battle. The Chinese goverment can better manage the expectations and commitment of it's people to endure hardship, especially just monor economic ones. After all, they make stuff that the whole world wants to buy. The USA has it's economic fortune tied up in finance, raw materials, agricultural products and software . More importantly, our economic model depends on short term profits. The Chinese can afford to look, long term. Our citizens react quickly and negatively to any stresses on our comfortable lifestyle. China is in a better position to win this war. It's a shame we have a president who fails to comprehend this fact.
5
I know whose winning and it's China.
NZ was the first nation to have a free trade agreement with China and look how far China has come down this path since forming free trade agreements with global nations. USA should note that most western world nations are getting into free trade agreements with China because the USA is stuck in its isolationist tariff way of thinking. China is leaps and bounds ahead of the USA when it comes to forming trade relationships and co-operation with other foreign nations.
Wake up USA and smell the flowers!
There's cheaper markets out there without tariffs and they're in free trade agreements. You'll probably loose some of your European markets to other nations that team up in free trade agreements.
3
You do not mention that China's United Front Works is actively seeking to undermine NZ (and Australia's) democracies by covert, coercive and corrupting methods.
1
As someone who lives outside the U.S. I don’t see a lot of difference between the actions of China now and the West in the past. Even now economic imperialism is the norm not the exception. Australia tries to exert its influence in the Asia pacific, Brazil in South America, each country has its imagined/or not region of influence.
I don’t see any high ground here, but for the first time in my life I’m rooting for China here.
6
It doesn't matter if you like President Trump or not, we need to win this battle. If we lose, our losses will mount until we are crushed. I con't have much confidence that China will do the right thing by intellectual property unless we force them to. It may get ugly before it is all over but the fight is for just cause and for a level playing field. I don't think the USA will be better off if we kick this can down the road. If we are going to confront the dragon then lets get started.
5
“Née Lau, the owner of Amourvino Winery in Napa, Calif., said the tariffs China imposed last year had hurt his profits. Still, Mr. Lau said he would rather not raise prices, even if it meant earning less for now. Holding onto his overseas dealers and clients, he said, is more important to the long-term health of his business.”
Why should Mr. Lau raise prices? Am I missing something? Chinese tariffs are imposed on the wine he “exports” to the PRC. Chinese importers—and thus their customers—pay the tariffs, not Mr Lau’s Amourvino Winery. I should think that in the face of tariff-inflated American wine prices, price-sensitive Chinese consumers switched to cheaper European, Australian and South American wines and the drop in sales volume hurt Mr. Lau’s profits. Raising prices to make-up for shrinking volume is a bad—suicidal—business practice.
Does the reporter understand fundamental business/economics principles?
2
Maybe he can put tariffs on hemp so that the USA can build up its hemp industry. The Chinese make really good hemp fabric. When Congress legalized industrialized hemp they created lots of potential jobs for farmers.
1
I hate Trump so much that I am rooting for China.
3
"When whales fight, it is the shrimp that gets hurt," and, " When water buffalo fight, it is the flies that get hurt," - these Asian sayings are saying the same thing. When governments fight, it is the people that get hurt.
It's my understanding that the American people will be paying for these tariffs via higher retail costs for the necessities. And this government will bank this money to retire the growing debt that trump caused by those tax cuts to his 1% buddies. Of course, somebody got to pay for those Mexican walls, but don't tell that to that military family living in sub-standard, on-post housing. The wife should get a medal (or a tetanus shot) for just living on-post.
Now, I don't know what the mix is, but did the Army retained it's battle-harden veterans or did they kick them out for the naive eighteen year old mortals, that I once was?
2
If we do not buy 'Made in China", tariffs are immaterial. We boycott until China becomes a a benign actor and stops being malevolent.
4
Money always comes home to roost.
The Chinese clothing factory buys virtually all of its cotton from Texas cotton farmers.
Even when the Chinese assemble an American automobile that is then sold in Australia - the profits end up back in Detroit, taxes are paid on the profits (by the firm and shareholders) and some of those taxes are then distributed as subsidies to the cotton farmers who were hit by the tariffs.
For some reason unknown in the universe - Trump feels that he can damage or remove one link from this chain and "win" – it doesn't work that way. Of course, I'm bewildered that anyone still believes Trump knows much about anything at all.
6
The supply chain relocates to democratic Taiwan or to Vietnam. No problem.
The use of the adjective, "defiant," in the headline, together with the postures of many posters in the comment thread, suggest that many -- too many -- Americans continue to believe that other nations owe something like "obedience" to US demands ("disobedient" is often the first-listed synonym for "defiant"). That has never been the case, of course.
Further, it is less and less the case that the US has sufficient worldwide economic dominance to get away with bullying trading partners into agreements that favor our interests over theirs. That's a lesson that we seem to be rather slow in learning, but we will, ultimately, have little choice.
6
Donald Trump: The best president Brazilian farmers ever had.
4
USA Today has the following headline at 1:26 PM
"U.S., China break off latest trade talks without announcing deal, as new tariffs rile markets"
Such a great negotiator. Donnie could not figure out this deal if it walked up and shook his hand.
1
I am astonished time and again how much the readership of NYT detest Trump and how low they are ready to fall to express their hatred. Here, they unconditionally embrace China in an economis dispute in which USA as every right to be loud and request changes.
No reasonable person will object that if we want to rehash this trade after so many years of ridiculously easygoing attitude on this, we have right to do that and have a president who won to a significant extent promising that he will do exactly things of that nature. A large part of the country is for this, do not ignore that in liberall blindness. Even if you disagree, at least do not extoll China and their leaders and do not forget that that is a communist country which will more than gladly economically destroy US if it can. At least do not turn back to USA only becase Trump is president.
4
@ss He is taking the market to buy on the dip!!!
4
First of all, in any story about a country with an internet propaganda agency (China, Russia, Turkey, etc.) it would behoove all readers to remember that they may not be reading posts from actual Americans, no matter who they claim to be. I would suggest that for real Americans who disagree with Trump on this topic, it isn't about "embracing" China but rather avoiding a trade war with them.
3
Lost in the simplifications of this article: China's addiction to corporate spying as well as industrial-scale pirating of movies, games and other US intellectual property. The situation is more subtle than the "US bad, China good" perspective taken in the article.
5
I would appreciate any trade barriers that deny Chinese foods from entering our country. Same with other products manufactured that have less oversight than required here. Imported dog treats, children’s toys, and even flooring imported from China have been recalled over lead, mercury, and other contaminates that never would have happened here. There are reasons beyond cost we should limit Chinese imports. Environmental and working conditions as well as insured quality should also be part of any negotiations.
5
After the problem with melamine-contaminated milk products from China which caused infant death and kidney damage for older consumers, it has been my practice to NOT buy food products from China.
The country of origin labelling requirements that were REMOVED during the Obama administration makes my concerns harder to resolve, but I can call 800 numbers and get country of origin details if that isn't apparent on the label.
I want country of origin label requirements restored.
1
Correct. Just look (over time) how many foodstuffs from China are refused entry at our ports, and the ports in Japan, Taiwan, England and Korea.
The amount is staggering for rancid, filth, spoilage, adulteration with dangerous carcinogenic chemicals, counterfeiting, mislabeling, etc. And that is at best one percent that is sampled and tested. Much bad stuff still gets through because the volume is too great and the inspection resources are insufficient. Look at the FDA's online refusal reports. Sobering and stomach turning.
Then we see medical devices, pharmaceuticals, cosmetics and spices that are rejected for many reasons equally alarming.
After writing a briefing paper on this subject for a top international law firm years ago, I almost became a full-on vegetarian, buying only food that is locally grown and organic.
1
P.S. China’s own citizens have learned to distrust the quality of the food produced in China. It is one of their top complaints.
They prefer to buy food from NZ, Australia, Japan and the USA.
Yet we import all manner of food, especially ‘value added’ processed food, pork and fish from China.
China’s wealthier citizens choose to buy food from other countries, but not China.
What’s wrong with that picture?
1
This is playing out exactly as you'd think it would. People have complained for years about China's unfair trade practices and intellectual theft, crying that we should "do something." What that something should have been was notably vague, but they wanted it stopped.
For once, an American president has done something and China's response is predictable. How could this play out any other way but a trade war? China has shown us for years that it wasn't going to straighten up and fly right on its own.
While I despise the infant in the White House and wouldn't vote for him in a million years, he is at least doing what he said he would to redress our grievances against China. Whether it ultimately works or not remains to be seen.
4
This s is probably good for NZ as we'll get more trade from China if there's a cold war between USA and China. More money from exports to China for our government to spend on kiwis.
USA are unreasonable, though patriotic and wanting best for their citizens, in trade deals and I can believe it when Chinese say USA conditions unreasonable. Most kiwis were pleased when the USA withdrew from the TPP agreement as we were going to lose some of our sovereignty to the USA; just like Canada has with some of there trade agreements.
5
Unclear regarding the imposition of the new tariffs: One statement says they apply only to goods leaving Chinese ports after 12:01 a.m. Friday--but which time zone? Another statement says the new tariffs' impacts will be delayed until ships already underway reach American shores.
Apart from the foolishness of this policy, it seems--like much from the current administration--to have been hastily imposed without much thought.
2
America needs to liberate herself from China.
If these tariffs end up being permanent, the proceeds of the tariffs need to go towards reconstituting America's manufacturing base so that China will be paying for new manufacturing in America.
China digging its own grave, maybe? Would that be good for America? Could be.
Republicans will never allow Trump to go through with it. Sounds somewhat socialistic. They might actually impeach Trump over this (imagine that).
That's the only scenario that would be good for America in this situation. Otherwise, if someone wants to use this money for the conservative agenda, forget it.
These tariff proceeds must benefit the people, or else settle this dispute before America suffers additional harm.
3
China, if you are listening, don't give Trump a win ... and you ought to release his taxes and the Mueller report :)
2
NYT you may be against Trump. But Iam with our President on the way he is dealing with China. China's Human Rights violations are a disgrace, their complete disregard of the environment, their contempt for Democracy make them far from being our ally.
Past presidencies have only fed the monster making it richer and richer. I think it is time someone showed China that the USA is still the most powerful country in the world.
4
Shruggjng shoulders...so I guess we shoukd be less grasping, coukd do with less atiff, and if you do need stuff, buy made in: USA, Canada, Mexico, Europe, Vietnam, Singapore, Malaysia etc..
Amazon and Etsy, please weed out some of the stuff that from Chinese sellers- that emits toxic noxious fumes from bad clothes, bad decorative "paintings" and just pure fake counterfeit IP infringing stuff. DONT BE COMPLICIT TO THEFT.
3
On the one hand, it's good we finally have a President who's willing to take on China over its trade and investment policies.
But on the other hand, who really believes that whatever the final agreement, China will timely and fairly implement it.
The Trump negotiations are essentially about implementing the promises China made when it joined WTO. Seventeen years have passed since China joined WTO, and it still retains a government-directed economy that's out of whack with the other WTO economies.
Isn't it time to recognize that for all the talking and all the promises, China is not going to change.
Isn't it time to recognize that admitting China to WTO was a mistake, a big one, that should be rectified.
So let's just let China go its own way -- as it will in any event -- outside of WTO, and let WTO return to being an assembly of free-market economies.
And halt the endless charade of negotiations with Beijing.
4
China almost never honors its promises. It has proven to be completely untrustworthy.
Just because its own people are fooled, the rest of the world is not. We have a free press and Internet.
2
So the Chinese would like to fight for continuing to rip off their trade partners? I’d say bring it on and I hope Europe will follow suit soon iwith similar measures against China.
5
Let's face it. We want the Chinese products and we want them at the "China Price". My former corporate employers practically giggled when they got rid of US based manufacturing. Profits and executive bonuses rose sharply.
We've done it to ourselves.
5
China is not a democratic nation and they have never been fair play with US or anyone else. It is all about building wealth at the expense of its controlled population.
US has nothing to lose.
I Don’t think US needs China to manage North Koreans. If NK were to become adventurous, there will be severe consequences and they are aware of it.
If US wants to import cheap goods, there are many countries who can meet the demands.
Trump is willing to call the shots and let’s see who blinks first!
5
Give a lot of credit to Bob Lighthizer. He sees China clearly.
1
The issue is not trade or China's trade policy but a tax on Americans not called a tax. Free trade is never free but limits without reason makes no sense. Taxes whatever name is applied are taxes. Tariffs equals tax!
Motivation for Trump, the ultimo bottom line reader, is simply the raising of income to offset deficits and debt. He is good at that as shown by the period of the 1980's through the early 2000's when he lost over $1,300,000,000 and claimed it a victory. For him it was. How can anyone lose at owning gambling casinos? But lose he did so he turned it into a gain by writing it off over the next few years and paying no taxes.
A fool is born every day. For his munchkin followers, so gullible, ignorant and often stupid, all they see is another reason to support him.
It is not surprising that abortion is not on the table. China's one child policy included abortion and led to leaving newborns exposed to the elements to die (as in ancient Greece).
Now why are the faux and self made millionaire preachers not crying out that God is causing tariffs? For the same reason there is silence when Bible thumping states get crushed by severe weather caused by climatic changes: it does not help with the politics of women suppression and right wing politics in general to say that God is punishing those voters/citizens as they claimed when New Orleans took a bath during its hurricane some recent years ago.
It seems what is good for the goosed is not good for the gooser.
Let's get two things straight: 1) Americans are paying the tariffs on Chinese goods, not the Chinese; and 2) Trump is right about China.
For 20 years we have watched the entire American manufacturing sector outsourced to China. It would be one thing if it were only disposable goods at Walmart, but it is not. Thanks to the theft of intellectual property, and demands for technology partnerships, China is now building our high tech as well.
Lest you forget, all roads in China lead back to the Chinese military. And in China, business is war. They sell us pre-hacked phones. They place spies in our graduate schools. They are hacking us to death, and we're stupidly letting it happen.
Trump is a racist, corrupt liar. But in this case, he is right. We need to keep the pressure on, because the Chinese government is using our own dollars to tip world influence in their favor. And their version of the world is not one we want.
10
We pay only if and only if we buy stuff made in Communist China. I will not.
3
What more could they inflict on us that they already haven’t?
Let's keep in mind that when US Corporations decided to open manufacturing in China (to access cheap labor) they were quite aware of the rules that China has for those that do business in their country. Now the complaints are that they don't like sharing their manufacturing IP. They throw their arms up and declare the rules are unfair. Their acumen to play by Chinese rules was based on greed not fairness. One rarely walks through a gate without the knowledge of what is on the other side.
7
I listened to an American businessman from the Midwest when I was in Shanghai last year. He had stars in his eyes he was so smitten with the idea of outsourcing manufacturing to China. I advised caution.
I sat him down and outlined all the risks to his business if he did that. I saw some of stars fall from his eyes but not all of them.
I wonder if he's recalling what I told him then.
4
Boycott what products exactly? Our agriculture? We’ve got nothing to lose.
1
The list is hyperlinked in today's NYT article:
"How Trump’s Tariffs on Chinese Goods Will Hit Your Shopping Cart"
It is a list of what to boycott, if you choose to vote with your wallet.
5
@Billbo, rare earth metals, treasury bonds...
Due to one child policy over 30 years, China in some ten years’ time will be facing labor shortages especially in the low wage manufacturing sector. So they have focusing on One Belt and One Road $1 trillion infrastructure Project in many developing countries. Low wage and price (Dollar Store products) will be made by Chinese firms shifting to these countries using this new infrastructure. The Chinese firms have marketing know-how as they have been supplying US customers over decades. This is one of the keys to successful rise as a major economic power.
Also their “Made in China 2025” (now, not publicly spoken) deals with the weakness of the economy e.g. semiconductors (China imports $ 150 - $175 bn worth per year). In the coming years such deficiencies will be dealt with plus they are moving into advance technologies like 5G, A.I., Electric and self-driving cars, aerospace, robotics etc with a highly educated and skilled workforce.
In 2016 China turned out 4.7 m graduates in STEM (science, technology, engineering & maths) versus 568,000 graduates in US.
If the Chinese can raise prices to cover the tariffs, why have they waited? Why haven't they been charging higher prices all along? Because competition sets prices, not China's costs. China will bear the cost of the tariffs or it will yield the market to competitors from Vietnam, South Korea, Mexico and other countries that are not subject to the tariffs.
5
Trump has done such a great job with Venezuela, North Korea, Canada, Mexico and our European allies that I'm sure he's on the right track in destroying the world economy to satisfy his base.
12
Trump is a disgrace, but I am glad to see someone in a position of power willing to take on China. The Chinese government jails political activists, controls all media outlets, uses its powers to steel intellectual property for the benefit of Chinese companies. We began trading with them in the hope that they would transform into a more open and democratic system. They have not. Why do we continue to do business with them at all?
Before you complain about the rising prices of all the junk you buy from China, take a second to consider 2 things. First, if you truly cannot live without those goods at the old cheaper price, shouldn’t you be concerned, very concerned, about our level of reliance on a totalitarian state? And second, imagine two future earths-one dominated by the values enshrined in the US Constitution and the other dominated by whatever the Chinese Communist Party felt like that day.
49
@Fast Ronnie. Wrong. We did not start trading with China for hopey-ideological reasons. We started business in China because we saw dollar signs.
And I prefer to envision a future that is dominated neither by the Communist party nor by our antiquated and easily ignored constitution (reference Trump). And yeah, the second amendment has done so much for our nation (more dead civilians from gunshots than ALL of our war casualties combined since the American revolution). Nope. I don't worship at the shrine of the US Constitution, and neither should you.
20
@Fast Ronnie Say what? No. "We" started trading in China because "we" say we could exploit China's lack of environmental laws and cheap labor to make "us" extremely rich and we realized that most Americans don't care about that exploitation so long as they can save $10 on a TV set.
And by "us" I mean the stock owners of large businesses like Nike, of which I am not one.
19
@Fast Ronnie We’ve already seen what the “future earth” “dominated by the values enshrined in the US Constitution” looks like. It looks like today’s Libya, Egypt, Syria, Iraq, Palestine, Saudi Arabia, Somalia, Afghanistan, Haiti, Honduras, Venezuela, and Ecuador. The above list only includes US invasions/coups after the 1990s. I’m at risk of running out of NYT word limit if I included earlier American regime changes. If the world were indeed to vote with their wallet, it’s very clear whose products they should boycott.
12
“What is a cynic? A man who knows the price of everything and the value of nothing.”— Oscar Wilde
It amazes me that unhinged Democrats with their fake constitutional crisis show are attacking the president over thieving China. They know the price of a Trump win but nothing of the value to America.
3
Trump at the helm: his definition of winning is always about his gains or losses. The worst psychological blow for him is appearing weak. In that, he is far more like the Chinese leaders than they may appreciate. You might think his own need to look tough would give him a little insight into the inadvisability of grinding them into the ground, verbally. But he has no insight.
He may be delighted to have "singlehandedly" obstructed trade - what power! -What drama! Who woulda believed the whims of Donnie the Developer could drive international markets down, and keep them on tenterhooks?
Lets hope we get out of this without a crash . .
31
Did we have to elect a crazy egomaniac to get a president to do something about China? Evidently so. I still despise the man but this thing with China is a must.
3
Any agreement has a ‘term’, or other options to cancel. Just like tRump walked away from NAFTA Iran Nuc Deal etc, the other Party can too. Lie. Then demand change. What tRump [and his goons] are setting up is rule of lawlessness in international relations.
3
Thanks, but I already have enough cheap Chinese junk in my house to last s lifetime which unfortunately is the problem because I know it won’t, if I’m lucky maybe it will make it to the end of the week. Do we really need to beg them for more?
2
If Trump hadn’t cancelled the trans pacific trade deal, the TPP, which China wasn’t part of, the US would have been immunized from some of the negative effects of taking on China in this so called trade war. Shot himself in the foot he did, that’s why he is limping along in the China negotiations without much effective leverage and no support from former US allies. My guess is that like he did with NAFTA, he will sign a deal that is just a name change over what was there before and declare victory. China can rope-a-dope him along for a few more rounds until he gets tired and /or distracted by the next glittery or scary thing.
7
And by the way, the NAFTA “big, big, big deal,” is still sitting someplace over at the Senate. They don’t even seem to be scheduling hearings.
4
I am not at all convinced TPP would have been a good deal for the average American. In fact, it appeared to lead to a race to the bottom for American workers.
When I look at Trumps behaviour in the past, I start to believe that Trump deliberately start this conflict with China to deflect the attention from his own problems,. He used this tactics in the past.
4
Is that also his motive behind provoking conflicts in N. Korea and Iran?
2
The ONLY way to rein-in China's wrong-doings in; trade, IP, patent infringement, currency manipulation is with ALL our allies together, using tariffs, sanctions and global financial tools.
But instead Trump alienates our allies, puts extra tariffs on them and isolates the US. Then embarks on a lone-battle where both sides will suffer. China's leader, Xi, will never back down and lose face. Especially when Trump publicly announces his new tariffs against them. These kind of negotiations should be done behind closed doors so neither side loses face. Trump has No idea about geo-politics.
6
@dsbarclay Agreed! trump is in a very dangerous chess game and he doesn't even know it because he is a narcissist. He ran his businesses into the ground by being a bully, but no impact to the country or world. This is a whole different ball game. This is what insanity looks like at the helm.
3
China is the worst malign actor to the United States.
Its theft of intellectual property and its subsidy of state owned enterprises cause U.S. companies to close. That's just two out of maybe a thousand harms designed to defeat us economically, cause distress and internal social conflict eroding our society.
Please BOYCOTT any product made in China. Make the effort.
Send the message to Beijing. We will not finance your assault on the U.S.
Your jobs, future and families are at risk. Seriously.
Where are your kids going to find work if there are no good opportunities for them in the future?
5
So why’d Trump borrow $500 million for his company from China this last year?
3
No other banks would?
1
This will go on till the 2020 elecitions are over. blame the Democrats and China.
1
This will lead to global rebalancing. Maybe Merkle will go to China to make a deal, partly to help Europe shore up the Iran nuclear agreement. You can't keep messing with the big picture, throwing wrenches into global machinery, without consequences.
Small minds welcome a mess. They skate on thin ice.
China is not pretty. It's really a fascist state, the fusion of big government and big business. Tariffs don't change that, plastic arrows bouncing off steel. Unlike Trump, other governments do think strategically. China wants to undermine Trump now, and will do it their way - patiently.
The way to challenge China is to build an alliance with its neighbors. To paraphrase Trump, there were really small minds on both sides that sunk that idea.
3
I am behind the trade war at the moment but let’s stop the false narrative that Trump is the only one who is taking China on.
This was one big reason Obama signed the trans pacific trade treaty to build a coalition of nations against China. In a trade war, you need allies, you need a strategy, you need patience and be ready to make sacrifices. Not tweets and false claims of winning.
7
Trump will blink. China knows it's all about saving face with both declaring victory and nothing of significance changing
they just have to wait out the falling stock market and some price rises on US products to turn the tide....if it takes that long.
1
Trump-Pence are inflaming tensions with China to distract American public from the Congressional investigations pertaining to the information presented them in the Mueller Report.
5
This tariff applies to purchased components not as much finished goods. So it hurts US manufacturers that build products in USA and less Chinese manufacturers that build finished goods in China. US companies are the ones paying, not China. Don't be fooled again.
1
The U.S. economy is 14 trillion dollars. In comparison the tariffs are small and focused on chinese imports. The theft of U.S. technologies by one of the largest and fastest growing economies must stop. Like or dislike this president the fight is for the future of America.
7
They can't win a sustained fight because their economy and all major indices are slowing down while we are at a half-century high.
Trump's worst trait, the inexorably grinding of his opponents, is also his best with China because China knows Trump really doesn't care. And as far as dealing with patent-stealing, Muslim 're-educating', spying-on-citizens China is concerned, he should grind them into a pulp because no other President would.
4
@Scott
"Slowed down" chinese economy has 6.4% GDP. While "half-century high" u.s. economy has 3.2%. If that's the best u.s. can do then all is lost...
1
This article would have better served its readers by addressing the underlying reasons, not just the effects of the trade war. Think lopsided barriers to business and trade, theft of intellectual property, cyber security issues. Did the Chinese walk back positions agreed upon in earlier negotiations? Is the US unreasonable in doing what it can to resolve serious issues?
What good is another discussion of platitudes?
9
Trump is about "winning". Everything he does is calculated to November '20. He can't bully Powell and the Fed to lower rates, so, create trade war, stifle what at the moment is solid economic performance/results. Lowering rates spurs economic activity 6-12 months out. Slow the economy down, by late summer/fall '19 get a rate cut late '19. Then quickly settle trade issues and watch equities surge. Media and Democrats asleep. So easy, so predictable. Keep under estimating him at our peril.
4
@Northcountry
Except rising prices and the resulting inflation will keep the Fed on hold
@Northcountry
Actually it is the chinese who most under estimate this president. He clearly understands that Xi and his 1.2 billion chinese countrymen are for China first. It's time to stand up against these technology pirates.
3
“Clearly understands.”
That’s hilarious.
1
Will the new tariffs also affect the price of MAGA hats? Aren't they still made in China?
9
Let's be clear. I am not a Chinese 'bot;' I am a Chinese American holding an American passport. That being said, I am exactly that - Chinese American. Chinese first, American second, as I am so often reminded.
To that end, I applaud the divorce of China from the US. China had a glorious civilization laid to waste by western locusts. That time is over. China has a billion plus strong, a number that most Americans do not comprehend.
I'm not advocating for war. I'm advocating for independence from one another. I'm not saying that China is better than the US. Nor am I saying that the US is better (Flint? Slavery? Cops that kill people for no reason?). But I do know that my parents sacrificed everything to come to this country and despite my best efforts I will be a mere 1%er (ok, maybe 0.1%er, but alas I will never be amongst the 0.01%), whereas many family members who stayed in China, buoyed by the economic success of the last quarter century, are far wealthier. In the last 20 years, I have gone from dreading going to China to wishing I could live there, permanently. Sometimes I wonder what my life would have been like if my parents had not immigrated to this country, although I do not have the heart to ask them that to their face.
Let China govern the rule the way it wants to, and let the US govern and rule the way it wants to. In 500 years, history will tell us who was right.
9
@workerbee,
I totally agree,
China should walk away from the richest export market in man kinds history the USA. The USA should move its factories, markets, investment to India because it is just as large as China but unlike China it follows WTO rules, doesn’t lie, steal and cheat its trading partners nor force tech transfer to do business in its country.
China can sit by itself in the corner and trade with itself until it is ready to play fair and follow WTO rules it signed on to and it agreed to follow.
Keep in mind when the largest Companies in the world leave China their global suppliers will follow suit. China can then cheat on itself all it wants, but if it wants to play in the global sandbox then it needs to play by global trade rules.
8
@RN India ? Really? There is no way Indian workers are comparable to the Chinese, nor is the Indian economy capable of taking up the challenge of replacing China. Your other arguments are merely fanciful - leaving China is only an option in magical thinking!
5
@RN
India? Are you serious? India is fractured by religious hatred (fomented by its current leadership), a deeply ingrained caste system and an incredible gap between its rich and the poor enhanced by corruption at all levels of its governmental structure...
6
For most of the past 2200 years China has been a socioeconomic, political, educational, demographic, diplomatic, military, scientific and technological superpower.
About 20% of the human race is ethnic Han Chinese. There are more Chinese living outside of China than there are Americans. There are more middle class Chinese than there are Americans.
America is first in money, arms and prisoners.
Xi Jinping is the first Chinese leader since Mao Zedong whose thoughts are deemed worthy of study by members of the Chinese Communist Party.
Xi Jinping is the first person since Deng Xiaoping to be designated a ' core leader'.
By ending the term-limited collective leadership Chinese Xi Jinping is seeking ' The Mandate of Heaven ' of the Chinese Emperors.
Xi Jinping is competent, experienced, temperate, smart, wise and secure.
Donald Trump is not.
34
@Blackmamba
Let’s see how long the “Wisest Man in the World” lasts once his people lose their jobs and their factories go idle. As the trade war heats up investment, factories will starts moving to other countries like India. The rest of the world will see that the USA stood up to a country that doesn’t follow its WTO agreements and they will start to follow suit and push back as well
I don’t think Trump looks as stupid as you think, you under estimate him at your own risk
3
@RN
As a neutral observer, I've given this President the full benefit of a doubt. I'd like to believe your assessment that Trump doesn't look as stupid as we think, but time and time again form his handling of border security, North Korea and the Russia investigation he's proving to me that he's anything but stupid. Most likely the Chinese have arrived at the same conclusion as well.
2
@Blackmamba China is also first in state-sponsored propaganda, including this post
Xi will never feel the same pressure to fold in the card game that Trump does. It does not matter whether the Chinese economy is hurt worse, or if it is losing in this game, because Xi can do whatever he wants with impunity. Trump may not feel the pressure because he is an idiot, but the Republicans, who don't even want this in the first place, will feel it. Because here we have elections. If China decides to play this out, the Republicans may escape this an a big issue in 2020, but not in 2222.
18
@James Smith I expect that this is where arguments for MMT (by those who want to promote it) come in. MMT is defined differently by both sides, and consequently misinterpreted by most, but in a "both sides lose" outcome, surely the pro-MMT camp will become more vocal. For the record, I am not a believer.
One thing Trump has never understood is that a merchandise trade deficit with a country isn't "ripping us off", "raping" or "eating our lunch." Such a deficit gets offset by purchasing foreign assets and investments. The real trade issues with China are technology transfer, theft of intellectual property and drugs.
It's doubtful Trump will make any deal. Further, when Trump comes out and says the other side is trying to renegotiate what's already been agreed, something just doesn't ring true.
5
It may be a lose-lose situation, but neither side has lost much despite these sob stories on the ground that NYT and others have been reporting. Both economies have been chugging along fine. This circus therefore will go on till the growth that Xie cares about slows, or the US stock prices that Trump cares about plunges.
My guess is that the effect of Chinese stimulus will last a while longer just like the Trump tax cut that delayed the US recession by a year. Dow Jones may not spare as well. That means Xie has time on his side and that just might be the Chinese calculation.
@TK Sung
Many foreign governments have under estimated America in the past. Once the American populace understands it must prevail against a technology pirate the size of China it will rise to the challenge.
1
Trump upped the tariffis because he is punishing the American people for not protecting him. We as a nation are not loyal enough to worship him unconditionally.
1
@loosemoose
The U.S. economy is 14 trillion dollars. The tariffs are a small sacrifice by U.S. consumers to confront an aggressive technology pirate which is out to destroy our blue collar jobs.
At one point the left in this country supported the working man and woman. Not so much any more.
2
American companies are not allowed to operate in China. To operate in China, they need to partner with a local company and agree to intellectual property transfer.
While a Chinese company does not have to do any of those things. Trump is wrong on many fronts. But China needs to be more open in trade.
Tik tok the Chinese company is now popular in the US. Back in the hay day of google and Facebook they were unable to penetrate the Chinese market due to restrictions on their business. Those need to go away. You want fair ? This is fair.
5
“The trade negotiations have gone on for so long because the two countries’ fundamental interests cannot be reconciled,”
And there it is. They need the trade imbalance to maintain their prosperity. We need it to stop to maintain ours. No amount of negotiation can square that circle.
1
The clash and trade war between China and USA was inevitable . Trump may have precipitated the inevitable sooner than later. USA cannot tolerate the present trade balooning deficit with China with loss of its manufacturing production base in perpetuity. American workers cannot ignore the impact of export of jobs to totalitarian regime with no protection of rights of workers. Losers will be corporations whose sole focus on bottom line profits, Agribusiness who rely on exports and gluttonous American consumers fed on cheap consumer items produced by slave labor in totalitarian society
3
@Azad the corporations started us on this trajectory decades ago for exactly the reason you state.
5
As much as I loathe Trump and almost everything he's doing, I'm hopeful for something positive out of this: the US will develop its own high-tech manufacturing capability.
To buy IT (software or hardware) manufactured in China is to buy a Trojan Horse and invite the Chinese military into your life, to spy on you and/or steal intellectual property.
I sympathize with the Chinese people, for all the hurt that their government brings to them.
7
But we didn’t hurt China, it is communism hurt Chinese people, Trump just hijacked this narrative because of the power he has, and everything remains true, the world of Donald Trump is pitifully small
3
This could backfire badly for China in that other third world countries such as India could pick up the slack, and become our major trading partners instead of China! Or the still sleeping giant countries in Africa...
5
@Moe
India does not have the manufacturing capacity nor supply chain as China. Also the Chinese firms are moving to Vietnam, Indonesia and other places for exports to US. The advantage they have is the knowledge of the US market as they have been supplying it for decades.
2
Reposting my comment of May 23, 2018 to Krugman's "Why a Trade War is Not easy to win"
Is a trade war with China easy to win?
Yes because the Chinese position is weaker than realized. Real unemployment is larger than reported officially. Chinese cities are filled with millions of rural migrants without a hokuo (a permit required to live in the city that allows access to schools and social services). Largely unskilled, they see there jobs disappearing.
Why ?
Click here, to see for yourself
https://www.francetvinfo.fr/economie/industrie/ethiopie-la-nouvelle-usine-de-la-chine_2764803.html
Ethiopia is the new place for the factories of China. 741 acres are covered in Hawassa by mostly Chinese factories. Salaries in the Chinese owned textile plant shown are 30 Euros ($ 35) per month , 1/20 of those of China as the Chinese owner explains.
What the proud Chinese owner does NOT explain is that he laid off his textile workers in China when he moving the factory to Ethiopia.
It is a race to the bottom. Stagnant wages by outsourcing production to those willing to work for least, has reached China.
Economists such as Krugman who promoted globalization (In Praise of Cheap Labor) failed to see that political unrest (e.g. Brexit, Trump ) follows.
It does , and that is becoming a headache for the Chinese leadership, who is well aware of it.
China can ill afford a trade war with the US, that would further accelerate that development
4
“I have no idea what’s going to happen,” he said. “They’ll see what they can do, but our alternative is, is an excellent one,” Mr. Trump added, noting that American tariffs on $250 billion worth of Chinese products were bringing “billions” in to the United States government.
In other words. It will cost USA citizens billions of dollars not China. China does not pay the tariffs. USA citizens and companies pay it. Imbecile!
19
@Len
Only the stupid invested and moved factories to China. Just like the stupid that rushed to move into Russia and do business. Greed blinds companies to reality, those countries are not free and you do business there at your own risk. You are wrong Len, the purpose of tariffs is to make products made in China to be more expensive than their counter parts made in other countries. So it does impact China in a very hard way “JOBS” and lost revenues.
Ford and other countries are already moving their planned factories away from China. Many are building them in the USA, Others are moving their existing factories to other countries.
China is a cheat, until they learn to play fair with the rest of the world they will continue to lose market share, jobs and factories and by default billions of dollars
3
@Len
The chinese importers pay the tariffs directly to the U.S. treasury. Yes, prices on some goods may rise but that is the cost of a trade war we must win. Allowing China to continue pirating our technology will further irrode the blue collar jobs for the next century.
The question in Xi's mind has to be "Can China sustain a trade war for 18 months?" That's how long it's going to last. No Trump, no trade war; and with the trade war, no Trump. Once Trump is a lame duck, the Republicans will fold like a cheap suit.
47
@Richard McLaughlin
Agree Biden will give the chinese whatever it wishes.
Destruction of U.S. blue collar jobs no problem for Democrats. Just increase welfare.
2
@Richard McLaughlin. Democrats caved on Obama’s trade deal with Asia. Even Hillary flip flopped. There is no way Democrats will side with China. Schumer is outspoken in his support for Trump in this battle. Democrats will be trying to out Trump on this issue. Bank on it.
1
These tariffs won't do anything for blue collar jobs in the US. American workers are not going to replace the factory work being done in China at 25% more than Chinese wages.
1
Trump & Xi in the ring, who will win? My bet’s on Xi because Trump’s a coward and an idiot. If Xi wasn’t such an abuser of human rights he’d make a great US president. Oh wait! That’s Trump!
4
On my first summer job, I worked for an old Oakie who taught me that the customer is always right. If a customer complains about their cola, you ask them what's wrong and you make it right. You don't make excuses or tell them that they made the wrong choice. You want them to come back, and not take their business somewhere else. You keep the floor swept, you keep the displays neat, you make sure that the goods you sell are in good condition, and you remain unfailingly polite.
Who's the customer and who's the supplier here? We should take our business somewhere else until they start treating us like a valued customer, and not like someone with no place else to go.
2
Actually I think Nicole Zhang has it exactly right. The two countries' interests cannot be reconciled after all.
1
@Jason Galbraith
Totally agree for Xi it his China and his 1.2 billion chinese countrymen and for Trump it is America first.
What Trump is fighting for is a more level playing field. No more pirating of U.S. technology, no more china subsidies for military owned industries and access for banned american businesses.
The aggressive response will be paid for by American consumers! Is the Chinese manufacturing base all of a sudden going to be relocated in the Rust Belt? No, as others have said, it will be moved to another offshore colony, or colonies, abundantly found around the world. And consumers will continue to pay, through higher costs for everything.
6
@Robert M. Koretsky
How does this help the domestic chinese work force? Are you suggesting the U.S. off shore more for our own good?
This section seems to be full of Chinese bot responses....
I did not agree with this trade war and would have preferred Obama's TPP strategy to rein in unfair trade practices. However, since TPP is off the table we must support our government in this economic conflict. China must learn that there are limits to its power and doing unfair business as usual is not going to work.
4
How can they win? They cannot. China is dependent on selling us everything and we can buy it, or not, or tax it.
4
China owns so much of our cash in trillions that they can hang on with the confrontation for long time. They have set up their relations all over the world with business deals and the road projects etc. They are having possession of many rare earth metals which they can use to hurt many of our sophisticated technologies and suffer export of them. Yes we are a great power but they are catching on having friends with Russia etc.So it is time to use some diplomacy to handle the situation and think in the long term. We can also hurt them but do not do it in short term unless we have long term strategy.
3
@Rishi, China spent it a long time ago on infrastructure, and policing their population.
@Rishi: Trump doesn't do long term.
1
Trump is such a fool to threaten China. China has so many unofficial ways to respond it is ridiculous.
Soon, American studios might find it impossible to sell any movies when the internet is awash with free copies online. And the influx of Fentanyl into the US might just increase tenfold.
2
@Keith
Some very good reasons to roll over and continue allowing the theft of U.S. technology by China. Only threatens the future of blue collar jobs in the U.S.
This trade war is hurting all of us! Has anyone tried to buy anything substantial lately? My neighbor is putting up a fence - the contractor told him materials prices have more than doubled due to the tariffs. Another neighbor had to replace their washer/dryer - again - prices up by more than 50 percent due to tariffs. Meanwhile, my paycheck isn't going up. How many of us can put off purchases like washer/dryer or new fence? We are getting killed by the price increases in durable goods. The middle class standard of living is going to keep dropping as long at Trump is in office. This has to end.
10
@Erin tariffs are taxes on muddle-class consumers; perhaps to pay partly for the tax cuts for the wealthy.
5
@Erin - yeah. Have you noticed the prices for window A/C units at Sam's Clubs? prices have gone up at least 45% from just last year!
1
I have to know: did you intentionally call the middle class the muddle class?
China has long played the long game, and Xi is now President for life.
Trump's grasp of power is more tenuous by the day.
Which nation will fold first:
the one that was satisfied with karma burning down Notre Dame because France burned down the Summer Palace in 1860?
or the one that thought a reality TV star would be a good president?
54
@D.A.Oh
Thanks for the Chinese history lesson. I had to read up on the Summer Palace burning.
There needs to be balance in every relationship, with understanding perfect equality will never happen. This relationship has been out of balance for many years on many levels. There is no better time to bring it into synch.
9
@Eric Fleischer the US has been self-appointed world marshall for so long; feels strange to have someone challenge that role.
3
As the Chinese assess how to respond to Trump, a free flow framework to assess Trump as a negotiation partner would be seeing Trump for exactly who he is:
Trump believes in one-way loyalty only (so many examples, but just look up Michael Cohen).
Trump is very unstable (and I know that’s the thing which the Chinese hate most in a leader).
He’s an untrustworthy business partner. (He cheats everybody).
It’s not even like he knows what he’s doing (he lost a billion dollars in the decade everyone thought he made money. Forget about the time we all knew he lost money).
He lost money running casinos (c’mon we all know: WHO does that?!)
People say: Trump has this white supremacy strain... (so, Putin: Great! Xi: not so much. Don’t believe it? Who did Trump attack in his 80s? The Japanese who bought Manhattan real estate)
Seriously, what could be a better, more epic response than releasing Trump’s tax returns? I believe the original quote included being rewarded mightily...
5
"First we make friends, then we talk business". That's been the way in China forever. The Muppet King in the Oval Office knows so little about doing business with international partners, and is so surrounded by sycophantic imbeciles who give me incompetent advice, that he doesn't even know the basics.
3
@PeteH
Couldn’t agree more. Initially, I wondered whether he’s clueless or just too arrogant as not to bother learning.
Now, I realize he’s the intersection of don’t know and don’t care, transactional and not relational, I-win you-lose.
He’s a terrible negotiator. The opposite of everything he has claimed to be. That’s just borne true time and again.
3
I wish I could feel pity for American farmers, who will bear the brunt of Chinese retaliation against American soybeans and other agricultural products (as diary farmers have felt the Mexican retaliatory tariffs on American cheese). But I can't. You folks played a crucial role in electing a reality TV host, real-estate con artist, and perpetual bankrupt to the presidency.
Along with your and our financial well being, has he has emptied our country and the office he holds of every shred of moral decency, respect for law, fiscal prudence, and national security. He has cut off the supply workers who work in your fields and processing plants. The folks in the red states, especially Wisconsin, Michigan, and the deep South deserve every bit of pain they're going to feel.
24
So now China will retaliate against our agriculture industry, Trump strongholds.
Then Trump will offer them a government handout to keep them in his pocket.
Then I, a blue stater, will be asked to fork over more money to bail out his pet states, just like the last tax bill scam.
I hate that this president [intentional small P] provides for his base at the expense of those that rightly believe he's completely incompetent.
I'll be surprised if he is ever brave enough to return to living in Trump tower.
10
Should we expect the same success revealed on Donny's tax returns?
1
I voted against Trump and overall would say he is a terrible president. But, I have been waiting for about ten years for someone to take action against China's abuse of the free trade system. Yes, U.S. companies deserve a lot of the blame for short-sighted actions and outsourcing, but the Chinese government needs to be put in its place for theft, cheating and deception. I would also consider this a punishment for their fascist tendencies: border disputes, Uighur internment, and general human rights issues like free speech.
126
@Justin You only mentioned U.S. companies and Chinese government, what about the ordinary Chinese people who run the business and suffer from the tariffs? Plus, issues like free speech shouldn't be addressed here. Without a steady economy, one country can't really pay more attention to issues as free speech.
11
@Justin
OK, but dealing with a problem is one thing. Counting on an ignorant, arrogant, loudmouthed idiot to do it is another.
32
@Justin Fascist tendencies? That last sentence could easily describe the Trump Administration.
38
All the criticism of Trump in comments here simply ignore our exploding trade deficit with China. This deficit is unsustainable, and it will increasingly reduce our ability to compete on the world economic stage. China subsidizes its manufacturing industries, it steals U.S. intellectual property on a regular basis to produce cheap knock-off products, and it pays its workers far less in salary and benefits than comparable American industrial companies. Why do those criticizing Trump refuse to understand that they are undercutting American workers with their support of China's unfair trade policies?
66
@paul
I can agree with you, or most all of what you said, and still reserve a right criticize Trump for not having an understanding of all that is going on or any clue as to the cascade of consequences should trade be seriously cut.
31
@paul
I believe, if the trade deficit isn't with China, it will be (as it currently is) with other low wage nations where Thailand, Vietnam, Malaysia are all examples. Corporate profits driven by American consumers wanting everything on the "cheap" is the culprit. However, while the deficits will continue, at a minimum, spreading production out around the globe has the potential to limit the power of any one nation (potentially, including us) on this issue. I don't know if tariffs will ever make us "buy American" and whether tariffs (like traffic fines) can be used to positively modify international behavior or to make others buy more American stuff. In the end, it doesn't seem Wall Street cares about worker conditions, salaries, or cheap knock-off products. To his credit, Trump has the issue on the front page though.
17
@paul ~
The intellectual property problems is a real problem. The rest of the banting about deficits and "bad" countries and companies can be applied to a loot of of the US, and indeed is not anything that can be easily remedied.
Isn't cutting US corporate taxes subsidizing THEM? Aren't wages relative to the COLA? DOn't Republicans and Red States fight an increase in minimum wages?
Many of the products may be less expensive
knock offs" by they are hardly cheap in quality these days. The production of a whole lot of Dollar Tree inventory and lower end clothes and shoes and ... is easily transferred to other, less expensive countries.
16
I recognize that trade conditions with China must be reset, but object to brinksmanship and bombast in getting there. The nuance of negotiation is beyond this spectacularly ill-informed and chaotic president, and as one whose racked up the largest declared losses ever, I simply have no faith in him landing this plane without serious damage,
4
This is why we should pause male rule temporarily for women to weigh in here. As a red blooded American male, I can tell you that there’s just something biologically wired into men that makes the defense of a flag (real or imagined) of pinnacle importance, over all. Women may be able to better bury that drive and build a workable consensus.
8
@Jeff men are not incapable of learning that trait.
It's astonishing that Americans appear to forget that one of the major reason we are in this mess is American corporations mass exodus from the U.S. to China and other Asian countries for lower cost labor.
Millions of middle-class American jobs were lost.
Now the same corporations are complaining about the tariffs and the costs to their bottom lines. Aside from the intellectual property issues which are significant and have to be addressed, one can't really feel too sorry for them. But one can feel for the American people who will ultimately pay for the cost of the tariffs.
Here's an idea. Instead of exploiting people in Asian countries for a few dollars a day and poor working conditions, why don't we bring these jobs back to America? Train workers here?
Yes, it may mean that we pay a little more for all of our goods,but with increased tariffs the outcome may be comparable. And do we really need all the cheap food and junk we buy from China? Our homes are overflowing with this useless stuff. Visit any other first world country and their citizens appear to be living without all the tchotchkes...and eating cheap food that is not imported from other countries.
It's time to rethink our buying habits, what we really need vs what we want, the damage the production does to the environment, and how we all can live more simply.
This tariff war is the outcome of greed...initially corporate...and now our addiction and reliance on cheap goods.
It's time to change our ways.
23
On one hand you say we should feel bad for Americans who will pay the cost of the tariffs. On the other you say Americans should just pay a few more dollars for goods.
The reality is, it’s not just “a few more dollars.” In same cases the increases are so significant the products out price the market. Poof! All those American importers and the jobs Americans hold are gone.
And you have obviously never been in manufacturing or run a company. You can’t simply “bring back the jobs to America.” Supply chains and manufacturing equipment are complex. Everything isn’t made with a hand loom, screwdrivers and a saw. In many cases, the US does not have the manufacturing capabilities for items made in China.
Simple, absolutist answers are comforting. They are seldom feasible.
19
@It's About Time - Kinda wondering if the cost of the price increase due to these new tariffs would equal the pay difference if the jobs returned to America.
1
@Steve Cohen "In many cases, the US does not have the manufacturing capabilities for items made in China."
You would have been the life of the party during WWII. We weren't called the Arsenal of Democracy for nothing. Who kicked off the mass production of consumer goods as far back as the early 20th century? Americans can't handle complex supply chains? Get real, man. We've been sold down the river by politicians espousing free trade agreements my entire life. Apologists, such as yourself, are what led to the populist parties becoming ascendant around the world.
7
China knows that Vietnam will up her production to meet US retail demand for shoddy retail goods. While Trump gets $45 for MAGA hats and HRC sells seats for $2 a pop...it’s the manufacturers in Central America that are being wiped out and creating the border crisis.
I just hope these tariffs are high enough to pay the farmers so I don’t have to spent more than $20 per bag for my dog’s food.
3
There is a big confusion in the Trump base believing that tariffs will transform our trade deficits into trade surplus. They should read what economist write.
What is the origin of thinking that the non-democratic regime in China, is (will) loosing (loose) the trade war? Just asking.
4
It is impossible to fathom that with their police and extensive surveillance network, the Chinese can't muster a much better effort to locate or track shipments from the estimated 400,000 producers and distributors of fentanyl compounds that have proliferated within their borders. To hold international law enforcement cooperation and simple human decency hostage "free trade" agreements on such an important world-wide issue seems profoundly wrong. Is this what global trade and capitalism has come to?
2
China, if you’re listening, the best response would be to release Trump’s tax returns...
137
Just as Republicans were assisted by Russians (all perfectly legal, I suppose); Democrats might just ask China for help in the upcoming elections, elections that have not been secured (Mitch McConnell' s fault) and no paper trail, no audits of any consequence.
6
@Richard
That’s right.
I could have been convinced to look beyond 2016 but the willful ignorance of McConnell and the Republicans on our election security for 2020 make this an open and shut case: Republicans, not just Trump, will accept any help to win.
They think they’ve got a good thing going with Russia. Patriotism be damned.
Well, they are being shortsighted I’m so many ways. They’ve forgotten China.
8
@Patrician
They don't have them. Just like Mueller never had them. Despite what you would read in every comment section everyday. Mnuchin has them---and he is not giving them up.
1
"When he contemplates moving production out of China — to Southeast Asia, for instance — he worries about losing access to China’s vast supply chain and capable work force."
... so much for that China stealing and taking advantage of US myths, that has been consumed in the media like pop corns in a movie theatrer.
8
Good for them, the Chinese.
Nice to see somebody having the courage to tell Trump to get lost.
22
@David Martin
It the trade and economy..dip..
1
China has long term vision. Trump can’t think past his tee time this weekend. I’m placing my bets on China.
101
@T. Rivers
You're spot on. I'm waiting on the day when China successfully negotiates an arrangement to build a military base in Mexico fifty miles south of San Diego.
1
Well, since it appears we are heading into a new cold war with China, we may as well get this over with. (Sadly, economics is not enough to keep wars from happening. Otherwise we wouldn't have so many civil wars and history would be much more calm and peaceful.)
1
Please, Wall Street, in 10 minutes when the opening bell rings: Dump the market 25% across the board. Do it fast. Show that the stock market truly predicts what lies ahead. The entire US economy is dependent on "consumer spending," and most of that spending is on Made-in-China stuff that can't and won't be made in the USA. Show a vote of 'No Confidence' in the blustering con-man you helped elevate to power. Let the Recession begin!
9
@JCX
It may come at the end of the day.
1
“The trade war, now nearly a year old, has already squeezed Mr. Chen’s bottom line. American customers insisted that he lower his prices so they wouldn’t have to raise theirs.”
“Still, China’s economy has shown it isn’t invulnerable. Some factories are already suffering.”
But but... I thought the elites and the liberal media all said tariffs wouldn’t work and would only hurt the American consumer.
I don’t know if they were to foolish or sincerely believed it. After all, Obama and Biden sat around and did nothing about China while they were ripping us off for 8 years. Bush and Clinton were no better.
And remember when libs said Trump was too irrational and uneducated to lead our economy? Krugman of The NY Times declared after Trump’s election we are “looking at a global recession, with no end in sight.” Well the US has accelerated since he was elected, unemployment is at 50 year record lows and wages are gaining. Plus we’re are getting better trade deals. While China has slowed and Europe is in shambles.
I think Trump actually tempers exuberance in the market by announcing tariffs. Every time our stocks look to accelerate into bubble territory, he announces tariffs. It’s healthy for our economy. And if there is ever a downturn, he has another tool to fight it - just announce the worth drawing of the tariffs.
The only thing that will mess up our economy is to elect a person with no business sense. A community organizer, a professor, a professional politician- Biden.
7
@Jay Lincoln The US budget deficit hit over $234B in one month in February. You don't have to be a genius to deficit spend at $2T a year and generate slightly better growth. We have basically shifted to a dirtier less regulated economy with minimal benefit to lower income workers (about half the country) and an exploding national debt that will require government cuts. That's what happens when politicians cannot compromise. The next recession will leave little room for the Fed to act.
15
@Pete
My only minor disagreement with @Pete is that wages for low paid workers have slightly increased, due largely to minimum wage increases implemented by local and state governments.
3
Or a reckless businessman who can’t even run the one business that is statistically guaranteed to make money, casinos.
1
The fact is that every Chinese, down to the lowest worker, knows that Trump is so erratic and unhinged that even if China signed away the Yellow River to American sovereignty, there is no confidence that Trump would honor his part of any deal. Nor would any deal with Trump would survive his tenure, given how low his legitimacy in American eyes is. Thus, the benefit of making concessions at all is precisely zero.
So every Chinese will bear this trade war with full confidence in Xi. They've endured much worse without complaint.
75
@Keith
Exactly.
The history of the western world's "trade" with China starting with the Opium War doesn't lead to trusting anyone - above all Trump.
"This is a lose-lose proposition." The people left in the White House are nationalists. All the free-traders are gone. The nationalists don't understand or appreciate the basic concept that world-wide free trade is not a zero sum game, it's a win-win situation, even when China helps support its industries. (We should be doing a little planning and subsidizing ourselves if we want to stay on the cutting edge.) Trump is a simpleton and his temper tantrums reflect that. He thinks this is a real estate deal and he can just get pouty and walk away when either he doesn't understand what's going on or he doesn't get his way, which is fine when that tactic affects only him and his family; but as President of the United States and in negotiations between two great nations when he walks away he hurts everyone. Where is our cool-headed Obama who negotiated a great trade deal, the TPP, to counter China? Now that was wise leadership.
13
@Sherry Wise leadership? Our trade imbalance with China is -419,162B (Yes, Billion) for 2018. Your hate for Trump clouds your judgement of the facts.
https://www.census.gov/foreign-trade/balance/c5700.html
I don't understand the finer points of trade so will leave the merits of tariffs aside. However I totally distrust this President who talks and acts to create drama all the time. He wants to come out of any situation looking like not just a victor but one who has made the enemy grovel. And he lies to make a defeat look like a victory.
I don't trust him to do what is right for the American people. He will only do what is beneficial for Trump.
100
“This is a good day for America,” Clinton said afterward. “In 10 years from now we will look back on this day and be glad we did this. We will see that we have given ourselves a chance to build the kind of future we want.”
Bill Clinton after 73 Democrats joined 164 Republicans in passing legislation awarding China 'normal trade relations', effectively granting China WTO status.
'Embracing those sorts of economic liberties, Clinton argued, might one day lead the Communist Party to allow more political liberties as well. “By joining the WTO, China is not simply agreeing to import more of our products; it is agreeing to import one of democracy’s most cherished values: economic freedom,” the president said in a March 2000 speech.'
Xi Jinping is now 'President For Life'.
33
@Spanky
It seemed like a reasonable hope at the time. The idea that a rising standard of living around the world would reduce conflict - and create a stable middle class.
Because we do see things from a US mindset -- those pols on both sides conflated material gains, capitalism and democracy as if they were a package.
The world has developed - but the trend has been toward creating oligarchies who are enmeshed with government leaders, and - as always - just a little reluctant to give up the prerogatives of power.
Clinton was also convinced of the ability of the US to compete in an increasingly tech heavy world, where intellectual capital would be our huge advantage.
When it cam to losing manufacturing jobs, I don;t think any of our leaders wanted to look to closely at the threat to labor, In fact, some Republicans, who despise organized labor, probably saw the threat to labor as a positive, which would lower wages and reduce the power of unions. It definitely did. And more.
10
Allowing China into WTO forced world trade rules on China. It’s better than the wild Wild West trade that was going on before they joined. Things could be worse than they are now.
Placing tariffs on goods USA citizens and manufacturing companies buy only hurts them. China is not paying the tariffs. Just like Mexico is paying for the wall. Delusional yes indeed.
5
I confess I don't know much about international economics relations. But what I don't understand is that if the US has so much complaints about trading with China, then why on earth it continues to do so? Let me illustrate this in a daily economics activities of an average Joe. If one is not happies with a store because of various policies of the store such as it won't honor returns, will any one continue to shop in that store? if one continues to do so, there must lie a very good reason...
3
Dan it’s complex. We get so many products from China and vice versa it would be difficult to cut off cold turkey. The supply chain wraps around both countries like a boa constrictor. Think not just finished consumer goods, but also raw materials, energy, bulk resources and individual parts for future assembly, and partially assembled products, etc. Retail, wholesale, business to business trade. It’s heavily integrated.
6
@Dan International economics is very complicated. Like everything else, Trump doesn't understand it either. It cannot be fixed by a three word slogan. Don't put any trust in a guy who lost $1.1 billion in 10 years.
2
@Bart
best image ever to show people the difficulty in arbitrarily stopping trade - "the supply chain wraps around both countries like a boa constrictor"
This article clearly shows it is China that is bearing the majority of the costs of these increased tariffs.
So until Beijing plays fair, keep the tariffs in place! I say that as someone who voted for both Obama and Clinton in the last few elections.
8
@shirley
The American people pay the increased taxes (tariffs) - not the Chinese. It's a tax increase on us. On you. On me. And that means our standard of living will go down as we can't buy the same amt of goods for the same amount of money. Eventually it means less demand for all products as prices increase. Eventually it leads to a recession. Economic fact, not fiction. Yes it hurts China as well. But Americans made the decision to source goods from China- the Chinese didn't force themselves into selling their goods to the USA. We bear the brunt of this - as US citizens.
30
China will never roll over. Period. That would mean losing face.
Furthermore, as Trump and his abettors are finding out, they've met their match in Chinese negotiators, who are just as adept as Trump at not keeping their word.
It will be up to Joe Biden in 2021 to clean up Trump's mess.
7
@ALB
So your solution is to just roll over and let the trade imbalance and tech thievery continue, unabated?
I'm no fan of Trump but if I have to choose sides I think I'll go with the U.S., flaws and all.
9
No. His solution is clearly to put someone else in office who will be able to negotiate in good faith with China instead of Felonious Trump, who can't shake the illusory problem of trade imbalances that he's been blathering about since the 80s.
China is not as big a problem for the US as Trump is. We are better off working with the former and living withOUT the latter.
3
China will do now what it and other countries did earlier in response to Trump’s “tariffs” (which are more accurately called taxes on American consumers). China will now impose steep tariffs on goods they buy from American Trump supporters, such as farmers. It’ll hurt Trump lovers the most.
Will they notice or will Trump followers just accept the needless harm being done to them because they love Trump’s hate, nativism, and racism more than their own economic well-being?
17
@Demosthenes
China steals much more than it buys from the US.
4
@Maureen, please list the items stolen by China? Also, list the American corporations that have factories in China making goods sold in the USA.
2
@John
Just google “how much American technology has been stolen by China” - you will find plenty to read.
If anyone thinks a 25% tariffs has a major impact on selling prices, they aren’t familiar with bidding processes. No Chinese company bids 25% below the next lowest bidder. Now, those companies have to bid on contracts with a penalty. It may result in higher prices, but on the other hand, other countries companies can now compete. A cost could go up a few % from another supplier now, if the Chineses company doesn’t lower their price. What is happening is the massive profits on manufacturing outside the US is diminishing, which will help everyone in America. Hopefully, American manufacturers will determine mass profit increases no longer exist by outsourcing to another country, especially China. This it what should have been done in NAFTA. Americans have been squeezed out of jobs because of excessive profit gains by companies outsourcing our jobs. I’d rather see companies pay lower taxes, than higher taxes on profits gained by sending jobs to other countries.
7
@Jay Americans were initially squeezed out of jobs by companies chasing lower labor costs. But manufacturing changed. Now those jobs are done by robots. There are no jobs to come back to Ohio.
32
@Jay....and those very companies got a massive tax break by THE Trump administration which was issued without conditions. They will move their productions to another country then but not back to the USA. What Mr.Trump failed to realize is that we are facing a fundamental change of how things are made. Even the cheapest labor will Not be enough to compete with highly automated production facilities. It would have been a great move to use the tax break to push towards automation and increased productivity per worker here in the USA - but that did not happen.
20
@Amalek
I actually started to build a facility in Mexico before NAFTA was signed. Our burden in America was $30 an your, in Mexico, it was $4.25. Only 60% of the manufacturing could be shifted more profitably. Material content as a cost actually rises with shipping cost and handling included in the equation. Pick and place machines eliminated workers needed to migrate PC boards. If the components were made in America, the machines and manufacturers would have stayed in America, or moved here. Fully automated manufacturers could now locate in America. That result eliminates shipping, handling, and duty charges. That is why the major auto manufacturers still build cars in America. Adjusting tariffs will encourage more companies to consider actual cost vs labor cost. Where to produce products, even those fully automated, would be less expensive here. China would be forced, same as the auto companies to move fully automated plants back to America.
1
Since the middle of April, soybean futures prices have declined by 15% at time of year when prices normally rise. Corn & wheat prices have followed naturally followed them down.
Meanwhile, the Chinese have managed to buy all the soybeans they need from Brazil despite all the claims that, "they just have to buy American beans, they have no other choice" and the Brazilians have another year to expand production. Before long, 25% of the US soybean market will disappear forever. And at a time when China is fighting ASF and could really use a lot more US pork, they are forced to buy it from other nations. And not to mention the loss of dairy exports, wine, apples, etc, etc.
Maybe the US can survive this trade war but certain segments will suffer. Don't be surprised when the farm economy falls into a extreme depression.
It will be a Pyrrhic victory for trump & the republicans.
54
@sine nomine ~
And while Trump claims that China needs to be punished for supporting their companies, we need to allocate $12 billion to support the soybean farmers and others who have been hurt by his macho strutting.
12
Trump is crazy like a fox. He saw an opening to benefit him and his family in the long run, no matter the outcome.
When our farmers go out of business and wind up selling the family farms, guess who will be ready to snap them up at distressed prices? Trump's foreign & domestic oligarch buddies.
9
@sine nomine
And yet I see interviews on cable TV showing farmers enthusiastically supporting Trump and his tariffs that are killing them.
Farm bankruptcies are soaring.
Pathetic.
2
as much as I abhor Trump, and think Tariffs are a terrible idea, I applaud the effort to diminish China's dominance un manufacturing.
however, if the middle-class was not hollowed out they might be able to afford "Made in America" and the jobs that go with it.
change is desperately needed
7
"Chinese people are polite by nature"
Then why does the Chinese government issue PSA's on how to not misbehave when visiting other countries? And why does it have a "social credit score" system that can prevent its citizens from being approved to travel abroad?
Their propaganda attempts are so hilariously transparent
11
Or maybe, the fact they have these is in response to citizen demand for help in not being accidentally impolite? Maybe?
You are so quick to ascribe negativity on ‘the other’. Americans need to be careful of their 1/0 narratives. The real world is much more complex.
27
@asdfj It would be a good idea for US Gov't to also issue PSA for American tourists in, e.g., Hong Kong. They are too noisy in the MTR.
5
An economic sector that regards America as a vast land of customers and a military security sector that regards America as a vast spent world power. How can anyone say such attitudes could be a source of conflict? A country which uses another country’s own economic resources to dominate them is the very definition of colonialism.
2
From their thoughtful responses to the journalist's questions, the ordinary Chinese worker appears to be more knowledgeable and understanding of the complexities surrounding Trump's Tariff War strategy than Trump himself. Maybe they're not watching enough Fox and Friends.
166
China is out of bullets. All it can do is roar, talk counter-measures, but the economy is bloated with debt, fraud and really teetering on collapse. There's so much subsidy, accounting shenanigans that if enough external pressure (Trump) is put, this house of cards will crumble.
Russia may or may not have wanted HRC as President, but China certainly would have loved HRC
Imagine the alternative; if HRC had been President. More of the same. Status-quo would have reigned to the detriment of Americans.
7
@MS China owns just over a trillion dollars in US treasuries. Both sides still have bullets, both sides will hurt themselves also when they use them.
As far as Russia, believing they wanted HRC is just delusional.
For the future, we have classic Trump, on the attack and not caring what damage he does as long as he gets some advantage. This is the long set up for the next recession.
9
@MS
Hillary Clinton once gave an interview where she said she didn’t want her grandchildren to live in a world “dominated by the Chinese.” (She said “the Chinese,” implying the entire ethnicity, not just “China” the country). This statement should have been immediately disqualifying and is one of the main reasons I voted third party—imagine if someone said the same thing about “the Jews” instead of “the Chinese.”
4
Mr. Wang is right. These geopolitical disputes are just the Game of Thrones, with nationalist leaders’ egos about being number one tramping over ordinary people’s humbler desires to do business, explore other cultures, and make products and money. The real dispute is not between the US and China, but between the ordinary people and nationalist leaders in each country.
38
@Aoy
No, the real dispute is related to the blatant copying, cheating, IP infringement, massive subsidies to Chinese companies that bankrupt Western competitors that the Chinese are engaged in.
It's a shame that Western corporations, multiple administrations (Dems and Republicans) ignored this growing menace.
6
@MS
No. It's that one side is controlled by a complete idiot.
3
@MS
I reject your generalizations about “the Chinese.” I see individuals, not nationalities. Some Chinese companies engage in bad acts (as do some American companies; the Uber-Waymo case involved a far higher dollar value than any Chinese company’s IP theft). However, China is a country of over a billion people and the vast majority of them are honest and primarily interested in improving their own standard of living, just like Americans. If a specific Chinese company engages in bad acts, you are free not to do business with them. But the government should not interfere with the vast majority of mutually beneficial trade relationships between Americans and Chinese.
Western corporations aren’t being duped by China; they are making money hand over first over there. GM would not exist today without Chinese consumers. Yahoo would be worthless if not for its large stake in the Chinese company Alibaba. We are supposedly a free-market country; the government has no place telling companies who they should do business with.
4