Commentary: US and China need to talk about this trade war

Since US President Donald Trump’s declaration on Apr 2 of “reciprocal” tariffs on almost all US trading partners, the two countries have imposed triple-digit duties on each other – levels that have effectively created a mutual trade embargo. When the effects of this slowdown hit the US in a matter of weeks, not only will consumers find it difficult to buy Chinese-made goods, but so will many US businesses which sell these imports or use them as inputs. On Apr 22, Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent called the US-China trade war “unsustainable”, and an unnamed source said that the White House would consider lowering tariffs on China.