https://sputnikglobe.com/20250202/us-gearing-up-for-conflict-tariffs-meant-to-prepare-for-war-with-china-ex-us-marine-says-1121526799.html
US Gearing Up for Conflict? Tariffs Meant to Prepare for War With China, Ex-US Marine Says
US Gearing Up for Conflict? Tariffs Meant to Prepare for War With China, Ex-US Marine Says
Sputnik International
President Trump has made good on his promise to slap an additional 10% tariff on goods from China despite long-held concerns the protectionist measures would affect imports essential to the US defense industrial base. Sputnik asked veteran geopolitical observer and ex-Marine Brian Berletic how the new restrictions will play out.
2025-02-02T13:05+0000
2025-02-02T13:05+0000
2025-02-02T13:05+0000
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china
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Beijing "firmly deplores and opposes" the US's new tariffs "and will take necessary countermeasures to defend its legitimate rights and interests," China's Foreign Ministry said in a statement Sunday.Among them is a complaint lodged against the US at the World Trade Organization."There are no winners in a trade war or tariff war," Beijing warned, calling on Washington to "correct its erroneous practices, meet China halfway, face up to its problems, have frank dialogues, strengthen cooperation, and manage differences on the basis of equality, mutual benefit and mutual respect."Ripping Off the Band-Aid Despite Strategic RisksThe new tariffs "will indeed jeopardize essential materials and components for US military industrial production, but are meant to continue a process of decoupling from China which began under the first Trump administration, continued throughout the Biden administration, and is now being expanded even further," Brian Berletic told Sputnik, commenting on the strategic risks the US military-industrial complex, which depends on China for things like rare earths and other components, will face with a new round of Trump's trade wars.MIC's Needs Will Stretch US's Limited Industrial Base"Costs will rise for corporations producing weapons, vehicles, and munitions, but they will not shoulder this cost - US taxpayers will," Berletic predicts.Whether under Trump 1.0, Biden or Trump 2.0, the tariffs "sold to the American people as an 'America First' policy" are actually "designed first and foremost to preserve the primacy of US corporate-financier monopolies, safeguard or even expand their profits, and entirely at the expense of America’s own 'allies' as well as the American people themselves," Berletic said.
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what impact will trump tariffs have, will trump tariffs hurt defense, is us preparing for war with china, is trump preparing for war with china
what impact will trump tariffs have, will trump tariffs hurt defense, is us preparing for war with china, is trump preparing for war with china
US Gearing Up for Conflict? Tariffs Meant to Prepare for War With China, Ex-US Marine Says
President Trump has made good on his promise to slap an additional 10% tariff on goods from China despite long-held concerns the protectionist measures would affect imports essential to the US defense industrial base. Sputnik asked veteran geopolitical observer and ex-Marine Brian Berletic how the new restrictions will play out.
Beijing "firmly deplores and opposes" the US's new tariffs "and will take necessary countermeasures to defend its legitimate rights and interests," China's Foreign Ministry said in a statement Sunday.
Among them is a complaint lodged against the US at the World Trade Organization.
"There are no winners in a trade war or tariff war," Beijing warned, calling on Washington to "correct its erroneous practices, meet China halfway, face up to its problems, have frank dialogues, strengthen cooperation, and manage differences on the basis of equality, mutual benefit and mutual respect."
Ripping Off the Band-Aid Despite Strategic Risks
The new tariffs "will indeed jeopardize essential materials and components for US military industrial production, but are meant to continue a process of decoupling from China which began under the first Trump administration, continued throughout the Biden administration, and is now being expanded even further," Brian Berletic told Sputnik, commenting on the strategic risks the US military-industrial complex, which depends on China for things like
rare earths and
other components, will face with a new round of Trump's trade wars.
"The US is preparing for conflict with China and just like its proxy war with Russia, knows that inevitably Chinese-sourced materials and components will be cut off sooner or later. These tariffs are meant to do it sooner rather than later and under conditions giving the US more time to address them ahead of conflict with China rather than during conflict with China," Berletic said.
2 December 2024, 10:38 GMT
MIC's Needs Will Stretch US's Limited Industrial Base
"Costs will rise for corporations producing weapons, vehicles, and munitions, but they will not shoulder this cost - US taxpayers will," Berletic predicts.
"The influx of additional money and opportunities for these military industrial corporations to vertically integrate production will increase their profits. As America’s limited industrial capacity is focused on military industrial production, rising costs and scarcity will increase for American consumers," he explained.
Whether under Trump 1.0, Biden or Trump 2.0, the tariffs "sold to the American people as an 'America First' policy" are actually "designed first and foremost to preserve the primacy of US corporate-financier monopolies, safeguard or even expand their profits, and entirely at the expense of America’s own 'allies' as well as the American people themselves," Berletic said.
