U.S. and China Need to Compromise on Trade, and Soon
Dragging out the confrontation won’t help either side.
Buying more American soybeans isn’t going to cut it.
Photographer: Daniel Acker/Bloomberg
The next round of U.S. tariffs on Chinese imports — $200 billion worth — could come as soon as next week, after talks to avert them ended without resolution. China is set to retaliate promptly with duties on nearly everything it imports from the United States. Even as he signaled an initial deal with Mexico, President Donald Trump declared it wasn’t time to restart negotiations with China; administration hardliners appear to believe that the Chinese economy is more fragile than it looks, increasing U.S. leverage. For their part, Chinese negotiators seem resigned to wait until after the U.S. midterm elections before pushing for new talks.
Both sides should instead climb down while they still can.