The latest round of tariff escalations between Washington and Beijing reads like a script from a Greek tragedy, complete with hubris, miscalculation, and the inevitable return to square one. President Donald Trump’s announcement of additional tariffs on foreign automobiles, copper, steel, and aluminum, along with 30 percent tariffs on all imports from China represents not strategic brilliance but strategic bankruptcy and the triumph of domestic political theater over coherent foreign policy.

The current trajectory of Sino-American relations reflects a fundamental misunderstanding of economic interdependence in the twenty-first century. Despite the rhetorical flourishes about “bringing manufacturing back” and achieving “economic independence,” the reality remains stubbornly complex.

China’s Commerce Minister Wang Wentao recently acknowledged the “ups and downs” in bilateral relations while emphasizing their economic interdependence—a diplomatic understatement that nevertheless captures the core contradiction of current policy.

The notion that the United States can simply decouple from China through tariff walls ignores the intricate web of supply chains, technological integration, and financial flows that have evolved over decades.

Indeed, American companies have invested........

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