The truth about Trump's trade war
Here below, Fareed of CNN explains in simple terms how China has been cheating and gaming the world trade and financial system for decades now since it joined the WTO. People, especially American citizens who blindly follow political propoganda media or blindly hate Trump for personal reasons should first understand the biggest threat to the world's economy, and freedom is from China which honors no rules or comittment as a state policy to become a super power.
I am not from the US and have no interest in US politics or parties, but let me tell you why Trump's "Trade War" is important and necessary right now.
The real trade war has been waged by China on the free trade and free markets for years now using tarrifs, blocking of businesses from entering China, and other legal and illegal means including intellectual property theft. Yet all those who remained blind to this all these years have suddenly pounced on Trump and his so called "trade war" because of various personal and political beliefs and animosity. Further, I see a section of American media instead of supporting their president for their country's interests (as they usually do even by using unfair and false reporting) have been playing political games using this.
People who reason that Trump's trade war is simply stupid as it is going to cause a lot of economic hardship in the US and elsewhere have to first understand that China's trade war has been causing a lot of misery not just in the US in terms of lost jobs and economic growth but all around the world till now. So many companies and entreprenuers who could have entered China and succeeded have not been able to. Those who did paid a heavy price by being forced to share their technology or been hacked of their IP. Till now the US has lost nearly 1-2 trillion dollars of GDP every year in just intellectual property theft! That's a lot of money that could have reached American economy and citizens!
Trump's "trade war" is not what it has been branded by his opposition media but it is really a "Trade retaliation" against a very dictatorial regime's trade war on the world to become a super power quickly with no regards for any international rules or regulations. Also, for a guy like Trump to wage such a war is commendable because the very rich and MNCs of the US all have huge interests in China and their own bottom lines instead of public or country's interest that has let China get away with so much nonsense in the past. And these 1% in the US exert a lot of political influence. Most presidents would succumb to them yet this guy seems to be fighting them like a patriot. A part of anti-Trump campaign going on is in my opinion funded by these special interests who would rather want Trump to go and save their China markets than see their country do well.
Trump's also a bluff master who uses a lot of lies and pressure tactics to get things done his way which suits a regime like China very well because with them diplomacy and truth are a fool's endeavour. If Trump's actions do cause some economic misery, it is worth taking it IMO than waiting for China to succeed the US as a super power and setting draconian rules of trade, territory, and use of techonlogy as it wishes later on.