China: Trump Chooses the Harder but Wiser Path

Many experts are panicking about Trump's economic punishments against China. They fear an economic downturn, a global depression, or even the worst case of open war. For the libertarians, it's depriving entrepreneurs of the world's largest market. For so-called realist and globalist foreign policy experts, it is irrational nationalism that unnecessarily endangers global prosperity and is best dealt with by trying to integrate China into the international system. These cries of panic are crescendoing now that tariffs are coming into effect, CFIUS is being expanded, and Trump is increasing security controls throughout the economy. Now these pro-China critics are trying to actively undermine President Trump in the name of globalism and alleged free trade. However, the rarely told reality is that President Trump is merely launching the first retaliation in a trade war that China has been waging for several decades. Trump is choosing the difficult correct course of action, which will cause pain to the United States in the short term so that the United States can thrive in the long term.