What Can We See From the Sudden Escalation of the Sino–US Trade War?

President Donald Trump speaks during a trade meeting with China's Vice Premier Liu He (C) in the Oval Office at the White House in Washington, DC, on April 4, 2019. JIM WATSON/AFP/Getty Images

The back-and-forth tussle between the United States and China in the Sino–U.S. trade war has taken a new turn, with Beijing’s sudden offensive aimed at the American economy and causing a political fiasco for Trump that could affect next year’s U.S. presidential elections. For the first time in history, a world economic power has taken the method of attacking the economy of another world power in order to alter the short-term domestic political prospects of that country. There is no longer any doubt that China and the United States are not engaged in a trade war, but in economic warfare. And the goal is beyond the economic scope, pointing directly at the position at seat in the Oval office.

Targeting the American Economy

According to Duowei News, an overseas Chinese-language media with ties to Beijing, the Chinese Ministry of Finance announced Aug. 23 that it would impose tariffs on $75 billion worth of U.S. imports, to be implemented starting Sept. 1 and Dec. 15 respectively, and would resume import tariffs on U.S. auto parts that had been previously paused last December. Subsequently, starting in September, additional tariffs on U.S. soybeans would reach 30 percent, tariffs on seafood, fruit, and meat will rise to 35 percent; starting mid-December, U.S. grain and vehicles will also incur additional tariffs of 35 percent, which is the first time that Beijing has gone after American crude oil. A few hours later, Trump announced on Twitter that on Oct. 1, the United States would raise the existing tariffs on $250 billion of Chinese goods from 25 to 30 percent. At the same time, effective Sept. 1, tariffs on the other $300 billion of Chinese imports would rise from 10 to 15 percent.

From the above reports from the CCP’s mouthpieces, it’s clear that this time it is Beijing that has taken the initiative in adding tariffs on U.S. goods, and it is Trump who is on the defense. The CCP’s overseas media also admitted that in this sequence, Trump is counterattacking; in other words, Beijing is the aggressor. However, some overseas media reversed the chronological order of the events, thus misleading the audience into believing that the United States first added tariffs, and that the CCP reacted out of necessity. Therefore, it is crucial that the facts are clarified, but more importantly, since it is the Party that made the first move, it is necessary to analyze its motives and goals in depth. Moreover, the CCP’s move has caused a reversal in Sino–U.S. relations of the past decades, making an in-depth analysis of the origin and background of the event even more relevant.