U.S. Media: Trump Has Delivered, But the Outcomes of His Visit Fall Far Short of Expectations!
Trump’s visit to China has concluded, marking the end of two phases in the eight-year U.S.-China trade war. After the United States fully imposed additional tariffs in April 2025, China’s exports demonstrated strong resilience: in 2025, exports reached $3.77 trillion, up 5.5%; from January to April 2026, exports amounted to $1.34 trillion, a year-on-year increase of 14.5%, with April alone seeing a 14.1% rise. The trade surplus reached $347.7 billion, consistently exceeding expectations. The tariff pressure has forced China to restructure its supply chain: final consumer goods production has shifted overseas, while intermediate and capital goods exports have surged significantly, with notable success expanding into markets such as ASEAN and the Middle East. America’s attempt to "decouple" and "break the supply chain" has encountered resistance. China remains firmly positioned at the core of the global supply chain—Apple’s mainland suppliers have increased to 51 companies. Over these eight years of confrontation, tariffs have objectively driven China’s industrial upgrading, while U.S. strategy has had limited effectiveness.
Trump’s second visit to China revealed that the influence of the tariff list has markedly weakened. The actual impact of both rounds of trade wars deviates significantly from U.S. intentions. Looking back to the first round of trade war in 2017, market concerns were raised about downward pressure on Chinese exports. Yet after eight years, China’s share of global intermediate goods exports has risen from 12.5% to 20%, roughly 1.7 times that of the United States. In 2025, the second round of tariff hikes aimed to reduce China’s global trade participation—but the decline in exports to the U.S. was effectively offset by gains in ASEAN, the Middle East, and other markets. Historical experience shows that high tariffs tend to drive up inflation without significantly reducing trade deficits. This pattern is evident in the recent tariffs against China. Chinese enterprises have responded flexibly—moving assembly operations abroad and achieving self-reliance in core technologies and components—forming a “global workshop” model. Today’s global supply chain exhibits diversified positioning. China’s complete industrial chain and cost advantages have further solidified its strategic position. During this visit to discuss trade, the U.S. found its negotiating room severely constrained. Eight years of data confirm: tariffs cannot undermine China’s export resilience; instead, they have boosted its industrial competitiveness.
Original article: toutiao.com/article/1865494236539916/
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