CDZ The Chinese Threat of Trade War?

[william the wie]

A few days ago I saw a news story about Chinese retaliation plans against Trump I couldn't make sense of it then and I can't make sense out of it now. So, I want an Error check

As I recall Trump would put anti-dumping and currency manipulation tariffs on @$400 billion of Chinese imports to the US and the Chinese threatened tariffs on @$100 billion of US goods they import. Is that right?

At the limit the Chinese are willing to export $1.5 trillion of GDP based on a multiplier of 5 from their economy to our economy, How is this a threat?

 

[oldsoul]

A few days ago I saw a news story about Chinese retaliation plans against Trump I couldn't make sense of it then and I can't make sense out of it now. So, I want an Error check

As I recall Trump would put anti-dumping and currency manipulation tariffs on @$400 billion of Chinese imports to the US and the Chinese threatened tariffs on @$100 billion of US goods they import. Is that right?

At the limit the Chinese are willing to export $1.5 trillion of GDP based on a multiplier of 5 from their economy to our economy, How is this a threat?

I must admit that my knowledge of this topic specifically is...limited, as is my knowledge of foreign trade in general. However, on the surface, to a layperson such as myself, it looks as though what you are witnessing is one of two things, possibly both. Either 1) It's not a threat, unless you are in manufacturing goods that would compete with those China would/is importing, and/or
2) It's little more than a scare tactic used to drum-up support for policy changes that "whoever" wishes to implement.

Again, this is my perception of it, as someone with limited knowledge on the matter.

 

[Fishlore]

The much-criticized PTP which Trump has promised to dump was designed first and foremost as a firewall against Chinese economic domination of the Pacific region. There is more at stake here than just China-US trade, US trade in the Pacific over-all is threatened by competition from China.

In its US trade, China has consistently followed Chinese interests, including tariffs, currency manipulation etc. Our problem is that US government policy has not been based on what would be good for US workers but instead based on maximizing profits for US investors in the Chinese economy. Apple makes nothing in the USA except money and yet we all seem to think the company is our American standard bearer. The problem isn't in Beijing, it is in Washington DC. Trump has got that part right at least; whether he can fix it remains to be seen.

 

[anotherlife]

I think the most dominant problem here is the currency manipulation part. The dollar is unique in that it is the currency that everyone wants his loot to hoard in. So everyone wants to push the dollar high. The yuan has no such problem, and can easily devalue itself by any power of ten, to undercut any American policy.