Trump plays tariffs, China plays mind games. Who has to checkmate now?
When the United States (US) raised tariffs on China to 145%, up 20% in just one day, many thought Beijing would bounce.
But interestingly, the opposite happened!
China remained calm without any harsh counterattacks.
Just a subtle but successful strategy to make the US hot on its heels – abandon housing, invest $1.9 trillion to build factories, and flood the world with exports.
The whole world but not the United States!
The result?
Exports jumped 17% in 2024 and the US market continued to be sidelined.
Chinese manufacturers who were once willing to give discounts to regular US customers are now just waving from afar.
Their focus has now shifted to finding new trading partners in Southeast Asia.
Meanwhile, Beijing’s blacklist is growing longer, with more US companies expected to face export restrictions, regulatory scrutiny or be forced to hand over their intellectual property.
American companies?
Start to panic, with more than 200 companies now listing China as their biggest geopolitical risk.
Ironically, in the US’s efforts to ‘teach’ China a lesson, they are now watching the country rise up in a more cunning and organized way.
And if this is a game of global chess, it seems China is thinking five moves ahead while America is just realizing that its pawn has been eaten.
