More than 50 countries have reached out to the President to begin tariff negotiations

[Mantiss2021]

Yeah well it could be Bye Bye China.

I would have thought they would be smarter than to raise tariffs on us when they have already been ripping us off for decades.

it appears that Trump is not going to blink and I dont think he should.

 China has the production facilities already in place that will allow it to merely shift its market to other countries; countries which are also now under US tariff pressure and may be looking to "jump ship".

The US (and therefore Walmart, Target, etc.) has, for years, outsourced its production facilities to other countries (ie. China), and will not be able to to replace that production capacity for years.

Never start a war with the enemy who makes your ammo.

[RazorV66]

 China has the production facilities already in place that will allow it to merely shift its market to other countries; countries which are also now under US tariff pressure and may be looking to "jump ship".

The US (and therefore Walmart, Target, etc.) has, for years, outsourced its production facilities to other countries (ie. China), and will not be able to to replace that production capacity for years.

Never start a war with the enemy who makes your ammo.

China exports over $500 billion worth of products every year to the USA, almost double the next highest country. 
We are their biggest importer.

Don't bite the hand that feeds you.

[vonclod]

What I see is that the tariffs are really a tax on the American citizens. These types of leaders know only one way of doing things and it always ends up with the citizens suffering the consequences.

All the reciprocal tariffs do the same thing to their respective countries people, it is a tax. It's almost as if we are all being played, from whatever country.

[quintessentone]

All the reciprocal tariffs do the same thing to their respective countries people, it is a tax. It's almost as if we are all being played, from whatever country.

Well other countries have no choice but to fight back any which way they can. As for being played, it is suspect especially when the U.S. has a surplus in the services market. Doesn't that even it all out, so the U.S. was not really being taken advantage of?

How richer are the billionaires and millionaires getting, including Trump, with the markets fluctuating wildly or perhaps predictable depending upon Trump's planned change of directions? Does any independent agency have an inside track?

Some speculate that Trump might let his billionaire friends know his moves before anyone else does so they can buy or sell stocks to benefit themselves. Anyone have an inside track on this too?

Who is getting richer right now. Follow the money.

[Anna]

More than 50 countries have reached out to the president to begin tariff negotiations.
...
 

Is China among them?

It's a rhetorical question, of course. The retaliatory tariffs of 84% on American goods will start on Thursday. Add to that the halt of the export of rare minerals that are crucial for the American industry.

The full blown trade war between the US and China is enough to hurt the world economy even if other countries negotiate some sort of a deal. You don't really impose 104% tariffs to negotiate. It's obvious that Trump wants to crush Chinese economy and threaten the very existence of China.

It's quite amusing how some people here were worried about angering Putin but they aren't worried about pushing Xi into the corner. Dictators don't think in the same way as the leaders of democratic countries. If their power is threatened, they will strike. One can entertain doubts whether the trade war will crash the market. But you don't have to be terribly imaginative to predict how the military war over Taiwan will affect the global economy, let alone global peace.

[Oldcarpy2]

Is China among them?

It's a rhetorical question, of course. The retaliatory tariffs of 84% on American goods will start on Thursday. Add to that the halt of the export of rare minerals that are crucial for the American industry.

The full blown trade war between the US and China is enough to hurt the world economy even if other countries negotiate some sort of a deal. You don't really impose 104% tariffs to negotiate. It's obvious that Trump wants to crush Chinese economy and threaten the very existence of China.

It's quite amusing how some people here were worried about angering Putin but they aren't worried about pushing Xi into the corner. Dictators don't think in the same way as the leaders of democratic countries. If their power is threatened, they will strike. One can entertain doubts whether the trade war will crash the market. But you don't have to be terribly imaginative to predict how the military war over Taiwan will affect the global economy, let alone global peace.

China holds @ 750 billion US Bonds.

If they offload them, wouldn't that crash the Dollar?

[quintessentone]

So Trump wants isolation, BRICS+ may give the U.S. dollar isolation in the very near future.

At the 2023 BRICS Summit, six countries were invited to become BRICS members: Argentina, Egypt, Ethiopia, Iran, Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates (UAE). All but Argentina and Saudi Arabia officially joined the alliance in January 2024, and in 2025, Indonesia became the 10th full member of BRICS.
 
Additionally, at the 2024 BRICS Summit, 13 nations signed on as BRICS partner countries, which are not yet full-fledged members: Algeria, Belarus, Bolivia, Cuba, Kazakhstan, Malaysia, Nigeria, Thailand, Turkey, Uganda, Vietnam and Uzbekistan.
 
The expanded group of 10 full member countries is sometimes referred to as BRICS+, although BRICS's name hasn't officially changed.
-------------
September 10 last year, Trump doubled down on his pledge to punish BRICS nations with strict tariffs if they seek to move away from the US dollar as the global currency.

https://investingnews.com/brics-currency/

Trump just took away his leverage by imposing tariffs any way, so there is nothing to stop these countries from going ahead with a new BRICS+ gold-backed currency.

[Anna]

China holds @ 750 billion US Bonds.

If they offload them, wouldn't that crash the Dollar?

Possibly. We will see but an all round trade war will have a negative impact on ordinary citizens of both countries. Only Xi doesn't have to worry about people's potential discontent.

Latest update: the EU imposed retaliatory tariffs on American goods up to 25%. So let's brace ourselves. A couple of weeks and nobody will remember Putin's insanity.

[PorkChop96]

A couple of weeks and nobody will remember Putin's insanity.

If that is all it takes for people to "forget Putin's insanity", they didn't care about it to begin with.

[putnam6]

Is China among them?

It's a rhetorical question, of course. The retaliatory tariffs of 84% on American goods will start on Thursday. Add to that the halt of the export of rare minerals that are crucial for the American industry.

The full blown trade war between the US and China is enough to hurt the world economy even if other countries negotiate some sort of a deal. You don't really impose 104% tariffs to negotiate. It's obvious that Trump wants to crush Chinese economy and threaten the very existence of China.

It's quite amusing how some people here were worried about angering Putin but they aren't worried about pushing Xi into the corner. Dictators don't think in the same way as the leaders of democratic countries. If their power is threatened, they will strike. One can entertain doubts whether the trade war will crash the market. But you don't have to be terribly imaginative to predict how the military war over Taiwan will affect the global economy, let alone global peace.

All Ive said suggested or inferred in this thread and others is that this is temporary and will be resolved in 4-6 weeks. Yes, you are correct the longer this lasts the worse it is for the world's economies. I didn't take one semester of Economics at DeKalb Community College for nothing 

When you get down to it, Trump's Trade Wars with China started in Trump's first term and never stopped. They were just put on pause with COVID-19 and then Biden from a virus originating in Wuhan, China. Hmmm. 

We are in unchartered waters here, there are a lot of pressure points and unknowns but it's mostly high-stakes negotiations. My life experiences suggest we will see agreements on some categories and continuing arguments on others. I know one little specific agreement in our niche industry on IP infringement took 12 years and once agreed upon unscrupulous Chinese companies just modified the style slightly and opened online stores over and over, selling loads of goods, and then the association would shut them down and then they would just open under another name. It's a maddeningly long process and we were on better terms, started under Bush and was signed under Obama in his 2nd term. 

Im not going to mention how some industries avoid some costs by shipping under the $800 limit aka taking an $8000 stock order and shipping it in in 10 boxes. 

I do agree with Victor Davis Hanson's position ...



Here's what Grok's AI suggests ... FWIW 

Predicting the exact duration of the current U.S.-China trade war is tricky—there’s no crystal ball for this stuff, and it hinges on a messy mix of economics, politics, and brinkmanship. As of April 9, 2025, we’re in a heated phase: the U.S. just slapped a 104% tariff on Chinese goods, and China fired back with an 84% tariff on American goods. This escalation kicked off in earnest earlier this year, with Trump’s February 1st 10% tariff hike on China, followed by more rounds (March 4th, April 2nd), and China matching or countering each move. So, we’re about 2-3 months into this latest tit-for-tat spiral, depending on where you mark the starting line.
Historically, trade wars vary wildly in length—2 to 10 years is the rough range. The Smoot-Hawley mess in the 1930s dragged on for about 4-5 years before easing up, while the U.S.-China trade war that started in 2018 has been simmering for over 7 years now, with no real end in sight. The current one could follow either path: a short, sharp shock if one side blinks, or a long grind if neither does.
You’re right—China does need the U.S. market. The U.S. imported $427 billion worth of Chinese goods in 2023 (latest full-year data), stuff like electronics and vehicles that prop up China’s export-driven economy. China’s been diversifying, sure, but the U.S. is still a massive chunk of its trade surplus. Flip side: the U.S. relies on China too—cheap goods keep inflation down, and American farmers (soybeans, pork) lean on Chinese buyers. Both sides feel the pain, but China’s got more to lose short-term because it exports three times as much to the U.S. as it imports (about $160 billion).
So, how long? If it’s about leverage, China might cave faster—say, 2-6 months—if its economy buckles under the tariff weight and Beijing decides it’s not worth the fight. Some folks on X reckon 3-4 weeks, betting China’s desperation kicks in quickly. But if it’s a national security slugfest (like Trump’s team seems to frame it—fentanyl, tech rivalry), or if China digs in to save face and prove resilience, we could be looking at years—2, 5, or even 7+, like the last round. China’s signaled it’s ready for a “war of attrition,” and Trump’s not exactly backing off either (April 7th threat of another 50% hike if China doesn’t fold by today).
Best guess: it won’t resolve before summer 2025 unless there’s a big economic shock (like a Chinese recession or U.S. market crash) forcing a deal. Beyond that, it’s anyone’s call—could stretch into 2026 or longer if pride and strategy trump pragmatism. What do you think—got a hunch on who blinks first?