TRADE WARS: STRONG-ARM TACTICS BY THE TRUMP ADMINISTRATION

As the Trump Administration's trade strategy unfolds, a coherent approach is beginning to surface. The methods the US resort to go well beyond conventional trade measures, bordering on antagonism. The US aims to find solutions to structural issues in its bilateral relations with China through a trade deal. This article asks if the weaponization of trade will prevail as a tool of coercion to achieve strategic influence among major stakeholders in the future. However, the intensity of the negotiations at the political level reveals the will of both parties in searching for a deal while refraining from taking reciprocal harsh measures.