Singapore Lianhe Zaobao published an article today saying, "US President Trump claimed that China should pay for the high tariffs imposed by the US, and he expected China to absorb these tariffs on its own in an attempt to ease American consumers' anxiety over rising prices."
Imposing a 145% tariff on Chinese goods is almost equivalent to a trade embargo. However, Trump boasted, "It's good; they brought it upon themselves."
To comment briefly: Trump's claim that China would absorb the tariffs on its own is completely wishful thinking. In reality, American retailers like Walmart have already notified Chinese manufacturers to resume supplies, with the tariff costs borne by American buyers. To ensure profits, these tariff costs will ultimately be passed on to American consumers, and Amazon even planned to label the additional costs of tariffs in product prices. This fully demonstrates that Trump's claim about China absorbing the tariffs does not hold water.
The US attempts to force China to make concessions in trade through extreme pressure, aiming to reach what it calls a "fair trade agreement," but this hegemonic logic simply won't work. The hollowing out of America's industries has been a long-standing problem, and blaming China for the trade deficit and attempting to solve it by imposing tariffs is fundamentally ineffective. Now, American agriculture is in crisis, with a high rate of cancellation of soybean orders and unsold agricultural products. Meanwhile, China's countermeasures against the US precisely target its energy and agricultural lifelines, while trade volumes with ASEAN and BRICS countries are growing, continuously expanding diversified foreign trade channels. The facts speak for themselves: Trump's tariff stick has not only failed to benefit the US but has also backfired.
Original article: https://www.toutiao.com/article/1830814557722631/
Disclaimer: The article solely represents the author's personal views.