Summary
Trump escalated his trade war with China by raising tariffs to 125%, even as he dropped tariffs on other nations to ease recession fears.
China retaliated with 84% tariffs on U.S. goods, triggering a high-stakes standoff with both sides refusing to back down.
Experts warn the escalating tit-for-tat threatens global markets and diplomacy. Trump’s team calls China a “bad actor,” while Beijing frames the U.S. as a bully.
Each side believes time favors them, making de-escalation unlikely. Business leaders urge talks, but neither leader wants to appear weak.
China won’t flinch, they’re already working with the EU to bring down tariffs on EVs, and for the first time ever, with Japan and South Korea for trade stuff. The EV tariff setup was a deal we (the US) brokered with the EU originally to starve China out of the market so they didn’t become a dominant force in transportation. Now China will be the dominant force on Earth while the US becomes an underfunded backwater country with last-place in everything. Chinese products are already predominant in most countries on the entire planet.
We handed them the solution to the problem they dug themselves into while we starve ourselves out.