Dr. Imran Khalid
In another characteristically brash maneuver, Donald Trump has intensified his economic confrontation with Beijing, announcing an unprecedented 125 percent tariff on Chinese imports while granting a 90-day tariff reprieve to every other major trading nation. Far from being a calculated economic strategy, the move appears tailor-made for campaign optics, an attempt to project toughness against China while mollifying allies and partners he had antagonized on April 2.
But behind the performance lies a dangerous gamble. Trump’s decision to selectively isolate China is more than a tactical jab. It’s a provocation aimed at economically cornering Beijing while reshaping the global trade order around a self-serving American center of gravity. The problem? This approach is shortsighted, economically risky, and geopolitically counterproductive.
Beijing views these tariffs not simply as economic pressure, but as strategic coercion. In response, China has already imposed retaliatory duties on American imports, but this is likely just the beginning. Expect a two-tiered response from China: short-term countermeasures aimed at immediate damage control and long-term systemic shifts designed to reduce vulnerability to American economic power. In the short term, China will target key U.S. exports, especially agricultural goods and high-value manufactured components from politically sensitive states. It will also double down on efforts to court the very countries Trump has temporarily exempted from tariffs, expanding bilateral trade and investment deals to create a buffer zone against Washington’s hostility.
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