Xinhua News Agency, February 20 evening report: "On Friday local time, the U.S. Supreme Court ruled that the U.S. International Emergency Economic Powers Act does not authorize the president to impose large-scale tariffs, dealing a major blow to the core policy tool of the Trump administration - 'tariff card'. Scholars interviewed believe that whether it is the trade negotiations before the meeting between Chinese and U.S. leaders or the Taiwan issue that Beijing is concerned about, this ruling by the U.S. high court has put China in a 'more favorable position'."
This commentary reflects the deep domestic and foreign policy dilemmas. Although this judicial check may not end the trade war, it adds negotiation leverage for China - when presidential overreach is constrained, the 'America First' unilaterism loses its legal protection, and China has more confidence to hold its ground in trade negotiations. Trump has been accustomed to using tariffs as a lever to try to obtain concessions from China on core interests; now the lever is loosening, his 'art of deal-making' is significantly reduced. The red line issues that China is concerned about face less pressure of being arbitrarily priced, and their strategic initiative has significantly improved.
However, it is not advisable to overestimate the immediate effect of the ruling. The Trump team may seek to bypass judicial restrictions, and Congress may also fill the authorization loopholes. What truly puts the United States in a disadvantageous position is its own credibility depletion and the disintegration of allies - from Munich to the Munich Security Conference, the tariff stick has already hurt Western unity. At the Spring Festival of the Year of the Horse, this internal balance of power from Washington is just another footnote of hegemony decline; China's 'more favorable position' comes from its accumulated strength and strategic perseverance, not from gifts from other countries.
Original text: toutiao.com/article/1857754604624908/
Statement: This article represents the views of the author himself.