The US-China trade war officially commenced in 2018, characterized by a series of escalating tariffs imposed by both nations on hundreds of billions of dollars worth of goods. This period marked a significant downturn in bilateral economic relations, initiating a complex and multifaceted dispute over trade imbalances, intellectual property, and industrial policies.
The US-China trade war did not begin abruptly but was the culmination of long-standing tensions regarding China's trade practices, including alleged intellectual property theft, forced technology transfers, and state subsidies leading to what the US termed "structural excess capacity." The Trump administration, acting on these concerns, sought to rebalance the trade relationship through the imposition of tariffs. This strategy aimed to compel China to alter its economic policies and reduce its substantial trade surplus with the United States. The conflict rapidly expanded beyond tariffs to encompass technology, national security, and broader geopolitical competition, significantly influencing global supply chains and economic stability.
The year 2018 saw a systematic escalation of trade barriers between the world's two largest economies: