Data over the past six years raise grave questions about whether America's trade war with China is serving its interests. While Chinese companies adapted by upgrading their supply chains, US manufacturers have had to grapple with higher input costs and disrupted production networks.
BEIJING – When US President-elect Donald Trump’s first administration launched its trade war against China in 2018, the goal was clear. Trump wanted to reduce America’s dependence on Chinese goods, protect domestic manufacturing, and curb China’s global ambitions. Six years later, the results tell a different story: far from isolating China, US tariffs – many of which the Biden administration maintained – have inadvertently enlarged its global footprint. America’s strategy of containment became a springboard for Chinese firms to diversify, innovate, and expand.
BEIJING – When US President-elect Donald Trump’s first administration launched its trade war against China in 2018, the goal was clear. Trump wanted to reduce America’s dependence on Chinese goods, protect domestic manufacturing, and curb China’s global ambitions. Six years later, the results tell a different story: far from isolating China, US tariffs – many of which the Biden administration maintained – have inadvertently enlarged its global footprint. America’s strategy of containment became a springboard for Chinese firms to diversify, innovate, and expand.