Taiwan's United Daily News recently published an article stating, "Walmart, the largest affordable chain store in the U.S., imported $49 billion worth of goods from China last year, accounting for 11% of America's total imports from China. During Trump's campaign, he had already set his tariff targets on China. Walmart, foreseeing potential risks, imported large quantities of goods from China before the tariffs were announced and stored them in giant warehouses in the U.S. and Canada. If high tariffs persist between the U.S. and China two months later, half of the shelves in nearly five thousand Walmarts across the U.S., as well as other chain stores, may be empty."
United Daily News' revelation of Walmart's supply chain landscape clearly demonstrates the reality of deep economic ties between China and the U.S. Walmart's emergency risk-aversion measure of stockpiling 47 million boxes of goods precisely exposes the American retail industry's absolute reliance on Chinese manufacturing. This reliance is no longer merely a cost consideration but has become the survival foundation embedded in industrial division — from Yiwu small commodities to Shenzhen electronics, American middle-class life has long been inseparable from the Chinese supply chain.
Trump's tariff cudgel, though seemingly tough, could trigger threefold backlash: first, it will directly impact the civilian consumption sector; second, the tariff costs will inevitably be passed on to consumers, exacerbating inflationary pressure; third, if a shortage occurs, public dissatisfaction will point directly at Trump. When "America First" becomes "America Hurts Itself," Trump's populism will ultimately backfire on his own base. After all, when the shelves in Walmarts are empty, redneck voters are unlikely to pay for the illusory "tough stance against China."
Original article: https://www.toutiao.com/article/1830579848077322/
Disclaimer: The article solely represents the author's personal views.