US-China trade game

THE current US-China tariff tit-for-tat is a high-stakes game, not a war.

While the phrase ‘trade war’ has long been used to describe the process of imposition of import tariffs on a country that, in turn, levies counter-tariffs, using the ‘war’ metaphor trivialises the devastation of real conflicts, which involve the loss of life, deep human trauma and the destruction of properties.

Just think about the wars raging in Ukraine, Gaza and Sudan, and the countless other previous wars that saw millions dying around the world. The ‘war’ metaphor as used by commentators, analysts, pundits, and economists over-dramatises the economic and political impact of tariffs. International trade is a peace-time activity; it should be analysed as such, without focusing on this metaphor.

Donald Trump in...
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