These actions have backed Chinese President Xi Jinping into a corner and turned the trade dispute into a matter of Chinese national pride. He has encouraged US supply chains to move out of China and established subsidy programmes to cushion farmers from the effects of a protracted trade war. A protracted trade war would almost guarantee a global realignment. In the US, Trump has made it clear that he sees the trade war with China as politically advantageous for him, and he’s probably right. Break in global orderAdd up all these factors, and the US-China trade war looks like the beginning of a profound break in the global order.

Source: The Star May 25, 2019 01:18 UTC