The US-China trade war originated from deep-seated economic grievances held by the United States regarding China's trade practices and its broader strategic competition for technological and geopolitical supremacy. It was primarily driven by American concerns over intellectual property theft, forced technology transfers, state subsidies, and perceived market access barriers, aiming to rebalance the economic relationship.

The United States initiated the trade war, particularly under the Trump administration, citing China's non-market economic policies as creating an unfair playing field. Key among these concerns were allegations of rampant intellectual property theft, which reportedly cost American companies billions annually, and China's requirement for foreign companies to transfer technology as a condition for market entry. Additionally, extensive state subsidies to Chinese industries were seen as distorting global markets and disadvantaging foreign competitors. These issues formed the core of what the US described as a fundamentally imbalanced trade relationship. The GeoGazet graph indicates a total of 100 tracked events globally, illustrating the complex and dynamic backdrop against which this economic conflict unfolded.

The primary instrument of the US-China trade war was the imposition of tariffs. The United States levied significant tariffs on hundreds of billions of dollars worth of Chinese goods, prompting retaliatory tariffs from Beijing. Data from GeoGazet tracking shows "Tariffs & Trade" as registering 80 tracked signals, making it the top connection by signal volume, demonstrating the centrality of these measures. Both "China" (37 tracked signals) and the "United States" (13 tracked signals) are prominent actors in this data, reflecting their direct involvement. The goal for the US was to pressure China into structural economic reforms, reduce its trade deficit, and curtail its long-term industrial ambitions, such as those outlined in "Made in China 2025." Historically, such protectionist measures echo mercantilist policies of past centuries, where economic power was directly linked to trade surpluses and the protection of domestic industries.