President Trump is right to impose tariffs on imports from China as a reaction to its unfair trade practices, believes the editorial board of USA Today. The country’s state-run businesses have long limited foreign access to their local marketplace. Meanwhile, China has freely exported to America and elsewhere. The government also forces international companies to share trade secrets in order to sell to its people. Some have accused China’s leadership of tolerating the theft of foreign and US intellectual property. Trump’s tariffs are justified as they seek to make the country’s markets freer and benefit American companies.

The tariffs on Chinese imports proposed by President Trump are highly risky and could cause an incredibly costly trade war with the country, infer the editors of Bloomberg. Ultimately, American consumers and producers will bear the additional costs, as they will be required to pay more for Chinese products. Trump seems convinced that America would have the upper hand in a trade war and appears open to pushing even further, until the country relents. This could cause China to respond with its own tariffs, causing a potential trade war and economic pain for both countries. The tariffs are bad foreign and economic policy.