China’s Patience with Trump Regime on Trade Wearing Thin
by Stephen Lendman (stephenlendman.org - Home - Stephen Lendman)
The Trump regime’s “America First” agenda is all about serving US privileged interests more one-sidedly than earlier, demanding other nations bend to Washington’s will or else, alienating other countries.
The scheme is an all take and little or no give agenda, pressuring and bullying other nations the US seeks to dominate, how all hegemons operate.
It shows repeatedly, Trump and regime hardliners waging political, economic, trade, and/or military war against one nation after another, seeking their submission by toughness, inching toward belligerence with nations powerful enough to hit back hard if things go too far.
The Trump regime is set to announce new 10% tariffs on $200 billion worth of Chinese products this week, maybe Monday, hiking them to 25% if trade talks remain deadlocked.
It’s coming on top of 25% duties on $50 billion worth of Chinese imports imposed earlier, around half of total Chinese exports to America in total - maybe all of them to be targeted ahead if Beijing retaliates in kind as expected.
Things are heading for a full-blown trade war between the world’s two dominant economies, global ones to be harmed if the Trump regime pushes things too far.
China’s Global Times slammed Washington, saying “(i)t is nothing new for the US to try to escalate tensions so as to exploit more gains at the negotiating table. The unilateral and hegemonic moves by the US will meet firm countermeasures from China,” adding:
The US aims to “consolidate its hegemony.” Beijing won’t be “passive (to its) maneuverings… It’s no longer the time when a country can achieve hegemonic dividends through coercion.”
China views what’s going on as “a conflict and rivalry between unilateralism and multilateralism.” It’s not about to roll over for America or any other country — at the same time seeking cooperative, not confrontational, relations with other nations.
According to a Sunday Wall Street Journal report, “Chinese officials said that if Mr. Trump carries out his plans to announce the fresh tariffs early this week —as people familiar with his plans said over the weekend that he would — then those talks could get scuttled.”
The Journal quoted former Xi Jinping economic and foreign policy advisor Yang Weimin, saying “China is not going to negotiate with a gun pointed to its head.”
According to the Journal, “some Chinese officials advising the leadership are proposing to step up the trade fight a notch by restricting China’s sales of materials, equipment and other parts key to US manufacturers’ supply chains.”
Four earlier rounds of trade talks failed to resolve major differences. Given unacceptable Trump regime demands, further negotiations won’t likely achieve breakthroughs.
US toughness is all about challenging Beijing’s “Made in China 2025” strategy, seeking to advance key sectors of its economy to world-class status, an objective the Trump regime wants thwarted.
It wants America’s position as the world’s dominant political, economic, financial and military power kept unchallenged.
Russia already surpassed America as the world’s dominant military power, its super-weapons more advanced than Pentagon ones.
China is heading toward becoming the world’s leading economy in the years ahead. Reality doesn’t go down well in Washington, slipping as other nations advance - notably China and Russia, the world’s leading sovereign independent nations.
US-sought dominance over them risks military confrontation, the unthinkable possibility of nuclear war threatening humanity’s survival if happens.
With hardline extremists in charge of the Trump regime’s geopolitical agenda, the unthinkable is possible.
VISIT MY NEW WEB SITE: stephenlendman.org (Home - Stephen Lendman). Contact at [email protected].
My newest book as editor and contributor is titled "Flashpoint in Ukraine: How the US Drive for Hegemony Risks WW III."
