Donald Trump earned ridicule for declaring on Twitter that for the US, a trade war would be “easy to win”. But economists say there is some truth to the observation that in a trade war, deficit countries hold an advantage over those with trade surpluses.
China’s trade surplus swells its economy each year, while net imports subtract from the US growth. From this perspective, economists say Mr Trump is correct that he has less to fear from a decrease in trade with China than President Xi Jinping.
However, White House actions to date have offered little reason to believe that Mr Trump and his advisers understand how to play to their own advantage.