China’s economic statecraft is working

With the second Trump administration has come a dramatic shift in U.S. foreign economic policy.

Washington is imposing tariffs on partners and rivals alike, slashing foreign aid, aggressively renegotiating trade deals, and rejecting multilateral diplomacy. The United States, in other words, is acting like a bully.

And as countries around the world grow more wary of dealing with the United States, they are turning more and more to its main economic rival, China. That trade is one of several factors contributing to China’s rise in exports in 2025 — which resulted in a trade surplus of nearly $1.2 trillion, a 20 percent increase.

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