Though I’ve traditionally aligned with the Ronald Reagan camp when it comes to tariffs (skeptic), no one can really say that some of President Trump’s tariffs have borne fruit. The Trump tariffs, and continuous threats of new ones, have been used as an “Art of the Deal” mechanism to force the hand of nations to negotiate deals that treat American products more fairly, and it’s kind of high time we leveled the field.
Nowhere does the field more need leveling than with China. Reducing trade barriers on American goods exported to China will undoubtedly benefit jobs and manufacturing in the U.S., and ultimately American consumers.
Upcoming talks between China and the U.S. could open markets to U.S. goods while reducing tariffs that have brought the Chinese government to the negotiating table. Bloomberg News observed a few days ago, “Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent and Vice Premier He Lifeng facing the task of negotiating down new escalatory measures between the world’s two largest economies.” The trade war has been hot since the president announced high tariffs on Chinese imports.
In anticipation of the meeting, both sides have of course turned up that heat to leverage better positions for themselves. As summed up in The Economic Times: “Beijing last week announced sweeping controls on the critical rare earths industry, prompting US President Donald Trump to threaten 100 percent tariffs on imports from China in retaliation. Trump had also threatened to cancel his expected meeting with Chinese counterpart Xi Jinping in South Korea later this month on the sidelines of the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) summit.”
Wars produce casualties. In particular, small businesses that rely on Chinese imports are struggling mightily. President Trump is in a great position now to end, or at least significantly cool, this particular war in a way that will create a much-needed, more peaceful trade relationship between China and the United States. Salvos and threats may have been necessary to get us all to face facts, but they are starting to wear everyone down.
Opportunities for both nations to reduce barriers and benefit their people are abundant. One big problem for us that needs urgent fixing is the harm caused to American farmers by China’s response to tariffs. The Washington Post reported on Monday: “In retaliation for President Donald Trump’s tariffs, Beijing has cut off Midwestern farmers from their largest and most lucrative overseas customer: China accounted for half — or $12.6 billion — of U.S. soybean exports last year. For the first time since November 2018, Chinaimported no soybeans from the U.S.” This soybean example is but a snapshot of the suffering, as the Chinese ban on farm imports extends to other exports like beef, pork, cotton and corn.
Reports indicate that half of U.S. farms are on the verge of bankruptcy.
Another area that has been hit by the trade war is the technology sector. For example, the Trump Administration is weighing a ban on the most popular commercial drone used by first responders, pointing to the fact that the most popular drones are manufactured by a Chinese company, DJI. The New York Times reported on September 8, 2025, “DJI, the world’s largest manufacturer of commercial and industrial drones, is on the verge of being banned in the United States” as part of an effort “to decouple the U.S. economy from China’s.” The problem is that American consumers will be hurt if these products are banned.
Businesses that rely on this drone technology are worried that they are going to be forced to purchase more expensive drones with inferior technology to do their jobs. The Times quoted one drone pilot from Michigan arguing that “by rejecting affordable, capable foreign drones without viable domestic alternatives, the U.S. is forcing industries like agriculture, energy and public safety to either operate with outdated tech or face soaring costs.” One Ohio businessman was quoted as saying that he would prefer to buy American, but the American alternative is “so far behind DJI that is it embarrassing.” The harm to these and other tech consumers resulting from the China-U.S. trade war must be alleviated and would be under a new deal that resets the relationship.
Let us hope our treasury secretary, with full support of the president and China’s vice premier, can make true progress negotiating at least the outlines of a deal that will benefit both nations. The trade war must end soon, and a more peaceful co-existence with China’s economy must exist in a way that allows American goods to be exported to China and American manufacturing to expand.
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