Donald Trump’s “liberation day” of supposedly “reciprocal tariffs” against the rest of the world — arguably, the most eccentric trade policy proposals ever made — has, after a hasty retreat under fire from the markets, turned into a trade war with China. This may (or, may not) have been what was intended from the start. So, can Trump win this war against China? Indeed, can the US, as it is now after Trump’s second coming, hope to succeed in its wider rivalry with China? The answers are “no”. This is not because China is invincible, far from it. It is because the US is throwing away all the assets it needs if it is to maintain its status in the world against a power as huge, able and determined as China.
唐納德?特朗普(Donald Trump)在“解放日”宣布的對全球其他地方的所謂“對等關稅”（可以說是有史以來最古怪的貿易政策提案）在市場炮轟之下匆忙撤回，現在已經變成了與中國的貿易戰。這也許是（也許不是）故意為之。那么，特朗普能打贏這場對中國的貿易戰嗎？事實上，現在處于特朗普第二任期之中的美國有希望在與中國的更廣泛競爭中勝出嗎？答案是“不”。這不是因為中國是不可戰勝的，遠不是這樣。這是因為面對中國這樣巨大、有能力且有決心的大國，美國正在丟棄它維持世界地位所需的所有有利條件。