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US-China trade war: Opinion

US-China trade war: Opinion
Breaking news and analysis on the US-China trade war, its history and timeline, and the impact on the global economy.
last updated:
9 September, 2024
Chinese President Xi Jinping arrives to meet US President Joe Biden at the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (Apec) summit in Lima, Peru, on November 16. Photo: AFP
US-China relations

Opinion | 2024 shows US-China tensions no longer the biggest story

Unrestrained regional powers jostling for control, building weapons and taking bolder risks are influencing trajectory of world politics.

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United States

Outside In | Does Trump’s tariff-happy team realise China is playing weiqi, not chess?

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US-China relations

Opinion | Trump effect already felt as China scrambles to mend ties with US allies

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China economy

Opinion | What China can do to make the best of an escalating US trade war

Beijing should shift the engine of economic growth from exports to consumption with bolder monetary and fiscal measures.

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Illustration: Crag Stephens
China economy

Opinion | In a world of tariff threats, China opts to share green tech dividends

China’s ‘new trio’ of EVs, lithium-ion batteries and solar panels represents the trickling down of tech dividends to people across the world.

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US-China relations

Opinion | Exit America, enter China? How Beijing can benefit from an isolationist US

America’s abdication as the world’s sole superpower would open up a tremendous diplomatic and economic opportunity for China.

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SCMP Highlights

Recap | China can counter Trump tariffs, Asian economies in US crosshairs and more opinions

Explore China’s answer to US tariffs, Trump’s Middle East peace challenge and other new pieces by our opinion writers.

With the US poised to escalate the trade war, China must focus on boosting self-sufficiency and diversifying its options beyond the West. Illustration: Craig Stephens
US-China relations

Opinion | Could Trump’s popularity in China prompt him to temper the trade war?

Beijing’s sensitivity to public opinion and Trump’s weakness for flattery could have big implications for US-China trade.

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US-China relations

Opinion | The West can’t have it both ways on overcapacity

Tariff wars on China not only expose a double standard around Western manufacturing but also erode the institutions of fair trade.

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United States

Macroscope | Trump’s tariff weapon may amount to little in a changed world

US-China decoupling and trade diversification across the Asia-Pacific mean Trump’s tariffs are no longer capable of mass destruction.

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Donald Trump is reflected in the bullet-proof glass as he finishes speaking at a campaign rally in Lititz, Pennsylvania, on November 3. Photo: AP
United States

Outside In | ‘Trump-proofing’ is distracting the world from far graver challenges

From G20 and Apec to the WTO and Nato, global cooperation on climate, security and open trade and investment must be quickly restored.

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Donald Trump arrives at an election night event at the Palm Beach Convention Centre in Florida on November 6. Photo: TNS
United States

Opinion | Trump has solidified his power to reshape the US. How far will he go?

Trump’s ‘America first’ stance has led some to wonder if traditional American values still apply. The answer is crucial to shaping the US’ future.

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United States

Opinion | Trump’s rise signals the end of US global leadership

Expect greater isolationism in favour of bilateral, outcome-based deals with no more free rides for allies as Trump seeks capitulation, not cooperation.

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SCMP Highlights

Recap | US women’s sex strike, Musk’s Trump bet: opinions on US election fallout

Explore the potential global impact of a second Trump term through the eyes of our opinion writers.

Illustration: Craig Stephens
US-China relations

Opinion | Transactional Trump may well improve US-China ties

The new US president is likely to negotiate a second-phase trade deal, seek China’s help to end wars, and keep the Taiwan status quo.

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Illustration: Craig Stephens
US presidential election 2024

Opinion | Trump’s return as president marks the end of American exceptionalism

Trump’s second term will mark a turn in US foreign policy towards a transactional approach and hasten the start of a multipolar world order.

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US presidential election 2024

Opinion | Trump’s tariffs would be a disaster for US workers and businesses

Many think Trump’s tariffs on imports will boost profits and help workers, but tariffs cannot do both and might do neither.

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US-China relations

Opinion | China-bashing is hurting Asian-Americans and US business interests

From a ‘China Week’ of anti-Beijing bills to targeting Hong Kong’s trade offices, the narrative is harming Asian-Americans and US businesses.

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The US House of Representatives, meeting in the Capitol last month, passed 25 bills meant to protect against Chinese threats, in what was dubbed “China Week”. Photo: Getty Images via AFP
United States

Outside In | Amid national security angst, US can’t see its biggest threat is at home

Paranoia over grave and imminent dangers all around is distracting America from the serious risks of domestic terrorism and political violence.

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Diplomacy

Opinion | Like the US before World War I, China is staying above the fray

China is geared towards creating more opportunities for its own peaceful development, rather than obsessing over global hegemony.

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China economy

Macroscope | China’s uneven recovery risks more US protectionism, even if Trump loses

China’s trade surplus and deflationary policies propping up its push for hi-tech manufacturing mean a sharp US response is likely, whoever wins the November election.

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An employee works in a specially lit area on a production line that produces printed circuit boards for export at a factory in Jiujiang, in central Jiangxi province, on July 24. The recently completed third plenum showed that the Chinese government continues to see high-end manufacturing and “new quality productive forces” as the path to economic recovery. Photo: AFP
US-China relations

Opinion | US needs a techno-industrial plan to beat China’s factories of the future

China’s shift towards advanced industries will give it such economic and strategic advantages that an equally powerful US response is necessary.

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US President Joe Biden speaks on Bidenomics at the Flex facility in West Columbia, South Carolina, US, on July 6, 2023. If the Chinese strategy succeeds, US companies in advanced industries will be wiped out, leaving the US increasingly dependent on China for critical goods. Photo: Bloomberg
US-China relations

Opinion | US warnings against China’s tech dominance smack of thief crying ‘thief’

Washington’s accusations are clearly driven more by its fear of the US losing its tech hegemony than by China overtaking it.

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US-China relations

Opinion | Mexico is ground zero as China takes Global South battle to US backyard

Since its free trade agreement with the US, Mexico has seen more crime and obesity, but little economic growth. Now, it is seeing a surge in Chinese investment.

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US-China relations

Opinion | US tariffs on China are a slap in the face for global trade and the WTO

The tariffs largely represent US efforts to bend the rules to reverse its fortunes in sectors where it is losing ground and struggling to compete with China.

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Illustration: Craig Stephens
US-China relations

Opinion | Financial Armageddon: the world just can’t afford an endless US-China trade war

Those who curb real trade and expand financial sanctions don’t seem to understand the likeliness of a destructive outcome for all. The West is wrecking the foundations of its prosperity.

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President Joe Biden speaks in the Rose Garden of the White House in Washington on May 14, announcing plans to impose major new tariffs on electric vehicles, semiconductors, solar equipment and medical supplies imported from China. Photo: AP
US-China relations

Opinion | Delusions of detente: how US-China ties are hurtling towards cold war

While maintaining diplomacy and setting up guard rails, the US is also painting an “axis of evil” narrative and courting allies to isolate China on every front.

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US-China relations

Opinion | Stable footing? In reality, US-China trade tensions are intensifying

As trade investigations into Chinese shipbuilding, steel and aluminium suggest more tariffs and a review of Trump-era tariffs unlikely to end in a rollback, expect China to respond with force.

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