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Trump’s ‘Madman Theory’ of Trade with China

Economist Patrick Chovanec says it could still work, but the president could play a much better hand by bringing in U.S. allies.

By , a deputy news editor at Foreign Policy.
Chinese Vice Premier Liu He shakes hands with U.S. Trade Representative Robert Lighthizer alongside U.S. Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin after trade talks between the two countries broke down on May 10.
Chinese Vice Premier Liu He shakes hands with U.S. Trade Representative Robert Lighthizer alongside U.S. Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin after trade talks between the two countries broke down on May 10.
Chinese Vice Premier Liu He shakes hands with U.S. Trade Representative Robert Lighthizer alongside U.S. Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin after trade talks between the two countries broke down on May 10. Saul Loeb/AFP/Getty Images

A year of contentious trade talks between China and the United States blew up on Friday as the Trump administration jacked up tariffs on hundreds of billions of dollars on Chinese imports and trade negotiators failed to reach any sort of agreement after two days of talks in Washington. U.S. President Donald Trump, meanwhile, launched a tweetstorm about using tariff revenues (paid by American consumers) to buy off American farmers hurt by Chinese retaliation.

Keith Johnson is a deputy news editor at Foreign Policy. Twitter: @KFJ_FP

Read More On China | Economics | Trade Policy & Agreements

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EU Trade Commissioner Cecilia Malmström speaks about EU-U.S. trade talks in Brussels on April 15.
EU Trade Commissioner Cecilia Malmström speaks about EU-U.S. trade talks in Brussels on April 15.

‘We Are Not Negotiating With a Gun to Our Head’

EU Trade Commissioner Cecilia Malmström says Washington must remove tariffs or no trade deal.

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U.S. President Donald Trump discusses trade policy with Chinese Vice Premier Liu He at the White House on April 4. (Jim Watson/AFP/Getty Images)
U.S. President Donald Trump discusses trade policy with Chinese Vice Premier Liu He at the White House on April 4. (Jim Watson/AFP/Getty Images)

In Trump’s Economy, the Invisible Hand Belongs to the Government

The state’s role in the U.S. economy has expanded dramatically under President Trump, even as he pushes China to exert less control.

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A vendor waits for customers at a Beijing market on Jan. 16. (Fred Dufour/AFP/Getty Images)
A vendor waits for customers at a Beijing market on Jan. 16. (Fred Dufour/AFP/Getty Images)

Just How Much Is China’s Economy Slowing?

Beijing is preparing another massive stimulus, but the economy is visibly running out of steam.

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