Michael Schuman, Columnist

Trump's Best Bet? Free Trade With China.

It's unlikely. But few deals would do more to boost American business.

November 23, 2016 at 12:01 AM UTC

Michael Schuman is a nonresident senior fellow at the Atlantic Council's Global China Hub and the author of "Superpower Interrupted: The Chinese History of the World" and "The Miracle: The Epic Story of Asia's Quest for Wealth."

Better together.
Photographer: Ng Han Guan/AFP

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Here's a suggestion for what should be among President Donald Trump's priorities in Asia: Negotiate a free-trade agreement with China.

You may think I've lost my mind. Hasn't trade with China cost jobs and weakened U.S. industry, as Trump relentlessly argued during his campaign? Wouldn't a free-trade pact only make matters worse? And isn't the U.S. trade deficit with China already large enough?