Trump’s Tariff Wars: A Battlefront in America’s Silent War with China

by Kerry Lutz
FinancialSurvivalNetwork.com

When President Donald Trump launched his now infamous tariff war in 2018, most pundits and political operatives mistook it for a simple economic maneuver—another blunt instrument wielded by a real estate tycoon-turned-president who, in their minds, didn’t understand global diplomacy. But that perception missed the forest for the trees. The true crux of Trump’s trade war wasn’t about soybeans or washing machines—it was about confronting China’s decades-long campaign of economic warfare against the United States. Tariffs were the opening salvos in a broader strategy, one aimed at turning the tide on a total war waged without bullets.

China’s economic assault on the United States and the West has never required tanks or missiles. Instead, it has unfolded quietly, insidiously, across boardrooms, factories, shipping ports, universities, and now even within the digital veins of our technological infrastructure. For decades, China has engaged in rampant intellectual property theft, strategic industry targeting, currency manipulation, massive state subsidies, and the exploitation of WTO loopholes. All of this, carried out under the guise of “peaceful development,” while the CCP nurtured a strategy of replacing America as the dominant global power without ever firing a shot.

China’s motivations are deeply historical—and deeply strategic. Consider fentanyl. Many see it merely as a drug crisis. But the CCP sees it as payback. Two hundred years ago, the West, led by Britain and supported by others including the U.S., inflicted the Opium Wars on China, humiliating a once-great empire. Today, with fentanyl streaming across the American border—much of it originating from China—we are witnessing an eerie echo of that revenge. Death by overdose is not just collateral damage. In Beijing’s long memory, it’s poetic justice.

President Trump saw through this. Unlike his predecessors, who paid lip service to the idea of confronting China, Trump made it personal. His tariffs weren’t simply economic; they were political, ideological, and psychological warfare. He understood something the foreign policy elite never did: China was not playing by the rules, because it never agreed to the rules in the first place.

In China, every corporation—no matter how private it may seem—is ultimately answerable to the state. Profit and consumer satisfaction are, at best, tertiary concerns. The CCP is the true CEO of every Chinese company. The global playing field has never been level, and Trump knew it. That’s why, unlike prior administrations that turned a blind eye to Chinese violations, Trump threw the rulebook out the window and met China’s economic aggression with unapologetic retaliation.

Critics claimed the tariffs would backfire. They screamed about higher prices, disrupted supply chains, and alienated allies. But what they failed to grasp is that Trump wasn’t trying to “fix” the old system—he was trying to blow it up. In this context, the tariffs were much more than an economic weapon—they were a signal. They told the world that the U.S. was done being the global doormat.

And sure enough, nations came running. Japan, the EU, Israel, India—suddenly, countries that had been lukewarm about trade negotiations were eager to strike deals. Trump understood that when you threaten to shut down the world’s largest consumer market, the exporters line up at the door. China was the real target, but everyone else got the message loud and clear. He was showing strength, and in geopolitics, strength is a currency that buys attention—and respect.

One of the more overlooked aspects of Trump’s strategy was his determination to shut down backdoor access points for Chinese goods entering the U.S. tariff-free. Countries like Mexico and Canada—both of which enjoy preferential access to U.S. markets under trade agreements—had become unwitting (and sometimes willing) transshipment hubs for Chinese manufacturers. Goods made in China were being lightly modified or repackaged in these nations and then stamped with “Made in Mexico” or “Made in Canada” labels, effectively laundering their true origin and bypassing U.S. tariffs.

Trump didn’t just see this loophole—he went after it. The USMCA, which replaced NAFTA, included specific provisions to tighten rules-of-origin requirements, increase transparency, and prevent the triangulation of Chinese goods through North American neighbors. It was a clear message: no more games. If you want access to the American consumer, you’d better come clean. For decades, global corporations had used trade agreements as a shell game. Trump ended that. The days of pretending Chinese goods were anything but Chinese were over.

The media largely missed another key detail: many of the deals that followed the tariff announcements were not improvised—they were already in motion. Trump, the master negotiator, knew the game. He had prepackaged the outcomes. When he dropped the tariff hammer, the world responded not out of fear, but out of recognition—they knew he had real leverage. For the first time in decades, the U.S. wasn’t asking for better terms—it was demanding them.

Nowhere was this more evident than in Latin America, and particularly Panama. The Panama Canal—once the crown jewel of American engineering—has become a quiet flashpoint in the new Cold War. Panama’s decision to allow Chinese companies to operate canal ports was a slap in the face to the treaty under which the U.S. returned the Canal. It was a backdoor occupation. Trump knew this, and made it clear that America would not tolerate China’s encroachment in our backyard. His long-term goal? Reassert American control over the canal, either directly or through strategic influence. It’s not just about shipping lanes—it’s about sovereignty.

During Trump’s first term, China’s economy was already wobbling under the weight of U.S. tariffs. Entire manufacturing sectors saw contraction, and global companies began relocating operations to Vietnam, India, and elsewhere. The CCP tried to mask the pain, manipulating data and pumping stimulus into failing sectors. But the damage was done. The myth of China’s unstoppable rise was punctured.

According to the most recent trade data, China still accounts for roughly 35% of the U.S. trade deficit (as of 2024), a staggering figure that underscores just how lopsided the relationship has been. But the trajectory is shifting. Trump’s efforts to decouple key industries—from semiconductors to rare earth minerals—have started to bear fruit. He laid the foundation in his first term. Now, in this second act, he’s poised to finish the job.

Of course, Trump’s rhetoric about other countries “taking advantage” of the U.S. wasn’t entirely off base either. For years, the U.S. allowed allies and adversaries alike to flood American markets with underpriced goods while restricting our access to theirs. But that was the surface-level problem. The deeper game was always with China.

What makes Trump’s strategy so potent is that it operates on multiple levels. On the surface, it looks like nationalism—“America First.” But beneath it is a highly strategic realignment of global power. He isn’t just trolling China—he’s outmaneuvering it. By disrupting the status quo, he’s forcing countries to choose sides. Do they want cheap Chinese loans and backdoor surveillance, or open access to American markets and military protection? Increasingly, they’re choosing the latter.

And let’s not forget—Trump thrives in the chaos he creates. The tariff war was never about restoring some mythical era of American manufacturing. It was about sending a message: America is awake, and it’s done playing nice.

Now, as Trump continues his second term, the gloves are fully off. The Biden pause, with its return to diplomatic niceties, gave China a brief reprieve. But that chapter is closed. Trump 2.0 is not just looking to confront China—he wants to contain it. The final nail in the coffin may be the full decoupling of critical industries, the revival of domestic manufacturing, and the restructuring of global supply chains to starve the Chinese economic engine.

China’s leaders know it. That’s why they’ve ramped up cyberwarfare, propaganda, and influence operations in the U.S. They’re not just defending their economy—they’re fighting for their survival. And Trump? He’s smiling through it all. Because for once, America is playing offense.

In the end, Trump’s tariff war was never about tariffs. It was about waking America up to the reality that globalization, as we knew it, was a rigged game. It was about reclaiming leverage in a world that had grown complacent with American decline. And most of all, it was about taking the fight to the one adversary bold enough to think they could beat us at our own game.

Trump didn’t just start a trade war. He started a new era.

Regards,
Kerry Lutz

Source: https://www.financialsurvivalnetwork.com/2025/04/trumps-tariff-wars-a-battlefront-in-americas-silent-war-with-china/