What Trump’s Trade War Is Really About
China has never accepted the liberal order — or its values.
Not going great.
Photographer: Kyodo News/Getty
As the trade war between the U.S. and China escalates, with President Donald Trump imposing tariffs on $34 billion of Chinese imports, both sides are trying to portray themselves as victims of an unconstrained unilateralist rival. They're both wrong: This dispute is about something much bigger.
For many years, American foreign policy adopted a fairly strong pro-China stance. The U.S. was a major proponent of China's accession to the World Trade Organization and took no direct policy actions in response to its long-running manipulation of the yuan. It advocated for China's development and tried to integrate it into the broader international system, despite China's abuses in areas such as intellectual property.