When Donald Trump pulled back on his plan to impose eye-watering tariffs on trading partners across the world, there was one key exception: China.
While the rest of the world would be given a 90-day reprieve on additional duties beyond the new 10% tariffs on all U.S. trade partners, China would feel the squeeze even more. On April 9, 2025, Trump raised the tariff on Chinese goods to 125%.
The move, in Trump’s telling, was prompted by Beijing’s “lack of respect for global markets.” But the U.S. president may well have been smarting from Beijing’s apparent willingness to confront U.S. tariffs head on.
While many countries opted not to retaliate against Trump’s now-delayed reciprocal tariff hikes, instead favoring negotiation and dialogue, Beijing took a different tack. It responded with swift and firm countermeasures. On April 11, China dismissed Trump’s moves as a “joke” and raised its own tariff against the U.S. to 125%.
The two economies are now locked in an all-out, high-intensity trade standoff. And China is showing no signs of backing down.
And as an expert on U.S.-China relations, I wouldn’t expect China to. Unlike the first U.S.-China trade war during Trump’s initial term, when Beijing eagerly sought to negotiate with the U.S., China now holds far more leverage. Indeed, Beijing believes it can inflict at least as much damage on the U.S. as vice versa, while at the same time expanding its global position.
I will save you a click:
Countries all over the world hold massive amounts of our debt.
Japan, France, and Canada started a slow release of those past due bills and started a panic so Fat Ass Hitler let up on the tariffs (not before letting his buddies know).
China will do no such thing. They will release all that fucking debt at once and crash the dollar hard. Buy canned goods and shotgun shells and make sure your passport is good in case you want to skedaddle.
…good thing America has a bunch of Keynesians and Modern Monetary Theorists in charge and not just a bunch of corrupt Libertarian drunks and populist yes-men glued to Elon Musk.
I opened a few global bank accounts and threw $10k of whatever currency in there. Passport and multiple routes at the ready!
Must be nice eh?
From sleeping in my car with a knife under my pillow to 3600 sqf house and more money than I know what to do with. Going back to school at 35 was the best decision. Never too late!
And that’s not counting how much of the global USD supply is held by China as a currency reserve. Now if they went and sold all that for other currencies, hyperinflation in the US would break records.
Never poke a sleeping (Poo) bear.
Heh… couldn’t help myself
It’s pooh, but Im just as happy to associate him with poop.
I shouldn’t leave comments when I’m tired af anymore, lol
- Trump – let’s piss off all of our trade partners and start a trade war with China
- China – 🎶 whole new markets 🎶
This is a pretty nice article. Some of the others that came out yesterday were failing to point out these obvious points.
One thing that must be considered is that Trump did in fact place tariffs on the entire world, or at least most of it. And then he relaxed most of those, sure. But all of those businesses in all of those countries are wary about trying to reestablish large import export relationships with the US because the US is unpredictable. They would much rather work together with most other countries in the world, including China.
So it’s not the US versus China, it’s the US versus everyone. And there’s no way the US can win against everyone. At best, or rather, at worst, it can drag others down for years or decades to come.
but have they ever said thank you? LOL
