How far is Trump prepared to escalate the trade war? Radio Sputnik's Loud & Clear spoke with Trade Justice New York Metro activist Pete Dolack and Jude Woodward, author of "The US vs China: Asia's New Cold War?" to find out.
"Trump is betting on the fact that the US is stronger than China, and in the end can bend China to its will," Woodward told Loud & Clear hosts John Kiriakou and Brian Becker. "I think that's the only conclusion that can be drawn."
By May, it appeared that the world's two largest economies had reached a brief period of a detente after tariff implementation was put on hold following negotiations. But then, in June, Trump pushed ahead with plans to impose them the following month.
On July 6, tariffs against $34 billion in Chinese goods, including auto parts, soybeans, and fish, went into effect, Sputnik News reported. Beijing responded by issuing a complaint to the World Trade Organization and has vowed to do so again following Trump's latest threat.
"Trump is somebody who I don't think really understands how these kinds of issues really work," Dolack said.