What is the endgame of this escalation of conflict between the US+Canada and China?
If there's no endgame, why are politicians escalating the conflict?
The last thing we would want is for both sides to continue to escalate the conflict in response to further escalation from the other side, because neither side wants to end up looking "weak," to the detriment of everyone.
unlikely
My idea is that we should tax the heck out of Chinese trade until they stop stealing our technology, pay their people better wages, get a freer political system, and stop challenging US global hegemony.
If China won't, or can't, do those things, at least the taxes will make our government a pile of money and help us rebuild our economy by negating the unfair advantages China's behavior gains them.
Cars made in China and sold in the U.S. have a 2% tariff.
Cars made in the U.S. and sold in China have a 40% tariff.
We need to balance that eventually. If we ignore it for another 40 years there won't be any American car companies.
We don't have to have perfect balance tomorrow, or free trade exactly, its ok to allow them to exploit trade with us to some extent as there economy catches up with the west.
But it is time for that assistance and trade imbalance to start to shrink. China has given no indication that they think we should be equal trading partners even after their country becomes the world leader in economy, scientific research, and military power.
For instance when Europe put a tax on American chicken, America replied with a tax on their Trucks.
I am disappointed that we don;t get along better with Russia and China. All three governments have major faults but it is in the interest of the world for super powers to get along.
I still believe in a bright future caused by technological progress that will be a high tide lifting all boats. Yes, governments + corruption, etc. will be as bad as ever but I expect the lives of most people on this planet to get even better in the future.
On a separate note the US just recently starting to pay attention to Africa's resources and wealth and China's recent grasp on it (railroads, Somalia's coast, education systems, etc). India and many countries of Africa will play a big role in what happens to US and China in terms of trade and future sanctions is another guess.
Governments tend to be bad while almost universally people are good - that is my simplistic way of looking at the world, but it works for me. In my country, the USA, we have two parties who both support special interests and not interests of the common person. I argue that it is like this in most countries.