Why the US shouldn't start a trade war with China

The U.S. and China seem to be on the verge of a costly trade war.Most recently, the Trump administration announced that Chinese shipments of aluminum foil will now face a hefty import tax, a decision that is intended to offset what the administration believes are unfair Chinese subsidies of its aluminum industry.

What this means in practice is that a handful of Chinese companies will now face “countervailing duties” ranging from 17 percent to 81 percent on their exports of aluminum to the U.S.

And a trade war may also be brewing between the U.S. and several Asian countries in the solar industry.It is not unusual for the U.S. to punish businesses it deems to be “cheating” on global trade rules, and one should not be too quick to judge any specific punitive measure taken. But the fear is that we are now on a slippery slope toward a trade war, as China is certain to respond by taxing U.S. sales of goods in China.

This latest action comes on the heels of a breakdown in talks between the two countries over trade last month. More generally it is consistent with President Donald Trump repeated promises to protect U.S. companies from what he perceives to be unfair competition from China. In addition, there is a strong chance that the administration will soon enact additional policies to limit the entry of Chinese products into U.S.