On March 22, 2018, when the Trump administration imposed tariffs on Chinese goods under the Section 301 investigation, academics were still cautious about using the term “trade war,” fearing it would further inflame tensions. However, by April 2025, Trump had signed an executive order imposing a 10% “minimum benchmark tariff” on goods from more than 180 countries and regions, and even levied tariffs of over 20% on allies such as Japan and South Korea. There is no longer any doubt: the tariff war launched by the United States has triggered a trade war with unpredictable consequences, not only between China and the US, but on a global scale.
2018年3月22日，特朗普政府根據“301調查”對中國商品加征關稅時，學界對“貿易戰”一詞仍頗為謹慎，擔心會進一步激化矛盾。然而，2025年4月，特朗普簽署行政令，對180多個國家和地區加征10%的“最低基準關稅”，甚至對日本、韓國等盟友征收超過20%的關稅。毫無疑問，美國掀起的關稅戰已經在中美之間，甚至全球范圍，引發一場后果難以預測的貿易戰。