China–United States trade war
The China–United States trade war () is an ongoing economic conflict between China and the United States. U.S. President Donald Trump in January 2018 began setting tariffs and other trade barriers on China with the goal of forcing it to make changes to what the U.S. says are "unfair trade practices" and intellectual property theft. The Trump administration stated that these practices may contribute to the U.S.–China trade deficit, and that the Chinese government requires transfer of American technology to China. In response to US trade measures, the Chinese government accused the Trump administration of engaging in nationalist protectionism and took retaliatory action. After the trade war escalated through 2019, on January 15, 2020, the two sides reached a phase one agreement, however tensions continued to persist. By the end of the Trump presidency, the trade war was widely characterized as largely a failure.

Since the 1980s, Trump had advocated tariffs to eliminate the U.S. trade deficit and promote domestic manufacturing, saying the country was being "ripped off" by its trading partners; imposing tariffs became a major plank of his presidential campaign. Most economists do not believe trade deficits pose a significant problem for the American economy. Nearly all economists who responded to surveys conducted by the Associated Press and Reuters said Trump's tariffs would do more harm than good to the American economy, and some economists advocated alternate means to address trade deficits with China.

The trade war negatively impacted the economies of both countries. In the United States, it has led to higher costs for manufacturers, higher prices for consumers and financial difficulties for farmers. In China, the trade war contributed to a slowdown in the rate of economic and industrial output growth, which had already been declining. Many American companies have shifted supply chains to elsewhere in Asia, bringing fears that the trade war would lead to a US-China economic 'decoupling'. The trade war has also caused economic damage in other countries, though some benefited from increased manufacturing as production was shifted to them. It also led to stock market instability. Governments around the world have taken steps to address some of the damage caused by the economic conflict.

While there has been broad support for the Trump administration's objective of making China change its trade policies, the use of tariffs and the trade war's negative economic impact have been widely criticized. Among American industries, U.S. businesses and agricultural industries have opposed the trade war, though most farmers continued to support Trump, who provided them with substantial financial support. As the Biden administration began in January 2021, Biden was evaluating the tariffs and pursuing a multilateral approach with allies to confront China.
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economic conflict
Concept
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China
LOC
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United States
LOC
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Donald Trump
PER
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setting tariffs and other trade barriers
Concept
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intellectual property theft
Concept
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trade deficit
Concept
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U.S. trade deficit
UNK
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supply chains
Concept
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Biden administration
MEDIA
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China–United States trade war
Concept
2018-01-01T00:00:00Z^^http://www.w3.org/2001/XMLSchema#dateTime
January 2018
DATE
2019-01-01T00:00:00Z^^http://www.w3.org/2001/XMLSchema#dateTime
2019
DATE
2020-01-15T00:00:00Z^^http://www.w3.org/2001/XMLSchema#dateTime
January 15, 2020
DATE
1980-01-01T00:00:00Z^^http://www.w3.org/2001/XMLSchema#dateTime
1980
DATE
2021-01-01T00:00:00Z^^http://www.w3.org/2001/XMLSchema#dateTime
January 2021
DATE
participant
participant
participant
has cause
point in time
diplomatic relation
diplomatic relation