May 06, 2025

A trade deal between China and the United States is nowhere in sight. The mountain of issues could take a long time and enormous effort to resolve. It’s certainly not going to happen in three or four weeks, as Trump has suggested. More likely, it will be months, if not years.

Mar 31, 2025

A great many negative consequences would follow a successful effort by the United States to pull the MFN rug out from under the world’s second-largest economy. If this key pillar of global trade is taken away, the collapse of the WTO itself could follow.

Jan 28, 2025

Washington and Beijing display stark contrasts in their approaches to the world and to each other. The dividing lines highlight the extremes — perpetrators and victims, oppressors and the oppressed, aggressors and defenders.

Dec 27, 2024

Beijing has put the United States on notice that China will fight to safeguard its interests. Like a giant panda, which will attack someone who pokes it in the eye, China retaliated swiftly after the Biden administration tightened the screws on technology exports. Donald Trump, who has threatened a new trade war, should take careful note.

Dec 13, 2024

BRICS countries, with a combined GDP approximately 1.5 times that of the United States, can be expected to retaliate against promised U.S. tariffs. These countries — many of which are major traders with China — are likely to make Donald Trump regret his bellicose bullying.

Nov 29, 2024

Sacrificing others is no answer when seeking to save oneself. But the EU is doing just that: It is willing to sell out China to gain the favor of incoming U.S. President Donald Trump and maybe avoid Trump’s tariffs. It won’t work.

Sep 11, 2024

The multilateral trading system faces an existential challenge as Washington and Brussels look to continue, or even boost, protectionism. With the very survival of the WTO at stake, the world should stand up to the challenge.

Aug 23, 2024

The multilateral trading system faces an existential challenge as the United States and European Union seek to continue — or even expand — trade protectionism. If Donald Trump returns to the White House, there are good reasons to believe that he will try again to hijack the World Trade Organization. Meanwhile, protectionism by Europe only makes things worse.

Jun 28, 2024

America’s fundamental strategy of creating trading blocs of approved partners will have disastrous global consequences. The Great Depression in the 1930s was brought on, in part, by U.S. protectionism. The world must now guard against a similar calamity.

Jan 08, 2024

The U.S. technology embargo has only energized Chinese scientists and engineers to create domestic alternatives. But it also hampers global innovation and will breed a variety of different — likely incompatible — technological systems and standards. This is a nightmare.