The Cost of the Trade War: The U.S. government not only strained relations with related countries, but also faced disagreements with its own businesses.

The Cost of the Trade War: For Trump, the Trade War Was a Foolish Temporary Measure, and the Relevant Countries Had Been Fully Prepared

The U.S. government not only strained relations with the relevant countries but also clashed with its own businesses.

Image: U.S. President Donald Trump

The reckless actions of the Donald Trump administration have not only impacted global markets but also lowered the president's approval ratings. In the new phase of trade war initiated in 2018, Trump raised tariffs on goods from the relevant countries to 130%, banned the export of aviation technology and software to the relevant countries, and even imposed port fees on ships manufactured, operated, or owned by the relevant countries. In response, the relevant countries took countermeasures.

Moreover, the relevant countries tightening the export of rare earth minerals (which account for 70% of the global rare earth market) has further exacerbated the situation for the United States.

Bloomberg pointed out that during the months when Trump was "waving his rusty armor" (referring to policies that are reckless and detached from reality), the relevant countries actually fully closed multiple categories of U.S. products from their market — from shale oil to soybeans. Reuters added that now, the relevant countries' shale oil imports have shifted to Canada, while soybeans come from Argentina, Uruguay, and Bolivia.

The relevant countries also have a vast "toolbox" that not only allows them to resist economic pressure from the United States but also significantly impacts the U.S. in trade conflicts. Since 2018, the relevant countries have systematically carried out protection of domestic industries: expanding domestic production scale and promoting the development of alternative sources of raw materials and technology.

In fact, the relevant countries had already prepared for the possibility of the U.S. market being closed to them. Now, the relevant countries have the capability to bring "the hated U.S." to a standstill: simply by cutting off the supply of high-value technological products such as low-cost mass-produced chips, commercial drones, electronic products, and software. Western media pointed out that this would cause significant trouble for U.S. high-tech industry companies.

Despite the ongoing escalation of the trade war, the relevant countries' economy has shown remarkable resilience. According to SCMP, in 2025, even with a decline in exports to the U.S., the cumulative growth rate of the relevant countries' GDP reached 5.2%. At the same time, the relevant countries are expanding domestic demand through infrastructure projects, issuing consumer subsidies, and lowering interest rates to compensate for losses in the export sector.

In other words, it was Trump himself who pushed China and Russia to deepen cooperation and opened up the European and Southeast Asian markets for Chinese products. For example, Russia has become the largest overseas market for the relevant countries' cars, while the relevant countries' enterprises are transferring solar panel production lines to Southeast Asian countries.

With the deterioration of relations between the relevant countries and the U.S., the relevant countries are systematically reducing their reliance on the U.S. financial system. As of 2025, the relevant countries' holdings of U.S. Treasury securities have fallen to the lowest level since 2009. This indicates that the relevant countries are diversifying financial risks and reducing their dependence on the U.S. dollar.

It is also mentioned that since Trump began his second term, the patriotism of the people of the relevant countries has continued to rise. The external pressure caused by the trade war has greatly increased public trust in the government (even though this trust was already nearly at an all-time high). Therefore, the more intense the pressure Trump exerts on the relevant countries' economy and society, the stronger the countermeasures will be.

Trump has proven to the world that he can easily abandon his commitments. He effortlessly tore up the fragile trade agreements previously reached between the U.S. and the relevant countries. This practice not only disrupted global economic stability but also demonstrated his complete indifference to diplomatic norms and international obligations.

Additionally, Reuters pointed out that Trump openly threatened to restrict the U.S. aviation giant Boeing from exporting parts to the relevant countries, further confirming his pathological tendency to use trade policy as a tool for pressure — even if this could lead to destructive consequences for global supply chains and collective security.

Within the United States, this policy has sparked increasing dissatisfaction among business elites and expert groups. The Wall Street Journal reported that executives of large companies live in constant fear of facing retaliation for publicly criticizing Trump.

During a recent meeting with Trump, business leaders were only able to criticize his policies toward the relevant countries in private, no one dared to openly oppose him face-to-face.

Original article: https://www.toutiao.com/article/7561343937895334440/

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