International relations play a significant role in understanding the interaction of actors of international politics and the overall effect that they foster in the global arena. Relations between the United States and China project back to 1949, when the People’s Republic of China was established (Council on Foreign Relations, 2018). Later, U.S.-China relations evolved from tense standoffs to current complexities in diplomacy, ever-growing international rivalry, and progressive intertwined economies. In this regard, this paper examines the statecraft of current US-China affairs that predispose trade affairs into tariff burdens and the evident counteractive measures put to offset surfacing inequities.
Protectionism is the first economic theory of practice notable from the deteriorating US-China relations. Protectionism refers to the act of shielding a country’s domestic industries from foreign competition and extortion through taxation or imposition of tariffs (Morris, 2017). On March 22, 2018, President Donald Trump’s administration announced sweeping tariffs worth approximately $50 billion targeting the Chinese imports (Council on Foreign Relations, 2018). Chiefly, the move targeted goods such as clothing, shoes, and electronics against tariffs on steel and aluminum.
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When states get into trade conflict, they both re-evaluate their standpoint in the relationship. This is better understood by the retaliatory measures adopted by China to counter the tariffs imposed by the United States. By July 6, 2018, China imposed tariffs on more than five hundred United States product. The reprisal targeted commodities such as dairy, soybeans, beef, and seafood. This is a concept understood, especially among superior economies. Among the developing countries, suppressing international trade from super economies fosters more lethal problems such as aid withdrawal as a retaliatory measure (De Graaff & Van Apeldoorn, 2018).
U.S.-China trade affairs continue to crumble down the stability of the economies of the involved nations. Indeed, there are mixed reactions on interests withheld by both entities. While president Trump believes that China is ripping off the United States, critics indicate that the actions of the US are not different from trade bullying (Council on Foreign Relations, 2018). Therefore, only amicable trade settlements can guarantee liberal trade relations between the two nations. Otherwise, global market unrest is inevitable.
Ultimately, the United States and China government employ disparate statecraft mechanisms to address trade issues within the region. While President Trump’s government have imposed tariffs to exemplify protectionism of the United States local investments, the Chinese government is high heels on actualizing their retaliatory measures. This is expected to continue as the economies involved are positioned to benefit from each other. Even though both nations present sensible reactions toward the trade war, only the application of liberal trade agreements devoid of biases and self-interest among the two administrations will pilot global trade efficiency into the future.
References
Council on Foreign Relations. (2018). Timeline: U.S. relations with China 1949—2018. Retrieved from https://www.cfr.org/timeline/us-relations-china
De Graaff, N., & Van Apeldoorn, B. (2018). US-China relations and the liberal world order: Contending elites, colliding visions?. International Affairs, 94 (1), 113-131.
Morris, S. C. (2017). Trade and Human Rights: The ethical dimension in US-China relations. Routledge.
