Since former President Donald Trump entered politics in 2015, one of the central aims of his campaign has been to repair trade ties with China.
“They are deceiving us“China can't do anything for the United States,” Trump said at the rally, pointing to a trade deficit of more than $300 billion with China and the hollowing out of America's Rust Belt.
Trump took a tough stance during his presidency by imposing tariffs on Chinese imports. The tariffs, once seen as highly controversial, are the only ones Biden has imposed under Trump's administration. Continued and expanded.
As the election approaches, Trump is competing with the Biden-Harris administration over who will do more to protect American industry. The Biden-Harris administration is in the final stages of raising tariffs on China, while Trump Raise it even higher.
It is no secret that U.S.-China relations have deteriorated over the past few years. Ban TikTok And China's new initiative “Remove AmericaThe tech scare is the latest escalation in an economic war with no end in sight.
But President Trump recently took a new turn in his trade policy with China that is often overlooked but may help bring an end to the economic tit-for-tat battle. On July 20, in Grand Rapids, Michigan, President Trump vowed to raise tariffs on China's auto industry, then: said For China to sell cars in the U.S., it needs to build factories in the U.S. and hire American workers.
“When I get back to the White House, the way they sell their products in America is to make it in America,” he said. “They have to make it in America, and they have to use you, the people, to make it.”
Trump often criticizes bad trade deals for sending jobs to China, but this time he's suggesting China can send jobs to the US.
Given China's excess industrial capacity and the decline of American manufacturing, such a deal could get both sides what they want: Beijing avoids tariffs and Michigan workers get stable, high-paying jobs. It's a creative way to increase “Made in America” products and end the current trade impasse.
There is already evidence that this is happening. As China's economic slowdown continues, some Chinese companies are Build a factory in AmericaIf implemented on a large scale, Trump's proposed policies would support local American businesses, transfer foreign technology to the U.S., and provide Americans with expertise to help build factories at home.
It remains to be seen whether Trump continues to tout the policy on the campaign trail, but if he does, other politicians will surely follow his lead, as they have done with trade policy over the past few years.
The cold war with China has become dangerous, and in this climate, mutually beneficial economic cooperation would be a good first step towards easing tensions and a great way to win the Biden-Harris administration over who will contribute to the American economy.
President Trump's pragmatic approach to China puts him in a unique position to succeed in the “art of the deal.”
James Bacon was a special assistant to President Trump and director of presidential personnel affairs in the Trump White House.
