For decades, the United States welcomed China into the global economic system with the hope that trade would foster liberalization and mutual benefit. Instead, the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) exploited America’s openness, weaponizing trade and investment as tools of asymmetric warfare. Under the guise of partnership, Beijing built an economy fueled by intellectual property theft, currency manipulation, and state-subsidized industries designed to obliterate foreign competitors.
Now, under the leadership of President Donald Trump, the United States is no longer playing the sucker. Trump’s bold tariffs and strategic economic realignment mark not just a response—but the first real counteroffensive. Voices like Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent, Tucker Carlson, and Maria Bartiromo are cutting through the noise: China is not a trade partner. It’s a strategic adversary. And the time to confront it is now.
China’s Long Game: Exploitation by Design
China’s economic rise wasn’t a miracle—it was a method. Since joining the World Trade Organization in 2001, China has violated its commitments while cloaking itself in the language of cooperation. From forced technology transfers and industrial espionage to dumping goods below cost, the CCP turned global rules into tools of domination.
Kevin O’Leary captured the essence on CNN:
“China doesn’t play by the rules. They’ve been stealing intellectual property for years, and they use it to compete against us unfairly. It’s a rigged game.”
He’s right. According to a 2017 USTR report, China’s practices cost the U.S. economy hundreds of billions annually in lost IP and strategic disadvantage. This isn’t capitalism—it’s state-sponsored looting.
Even worse, China uses its dominance in critical supply chains—from rare earth elements to active pharmaceutical ingredients (APIs)—to create strategic choke points. When COVID-19 hit, China hinted at withholding essential medical supplies, exposing just how deeply the U.S. had become dependent.
As Maria Bartiromo warned:
“They are deep inside our infrastructure and capital markets. American investors are unwittingly funding their number one adversary.”
Trump’s Stand: Turning the Tables
Enter Donald Trump—not with a handshake, but with a hammer. His administration’s latest 54% tariff on Chinese imports (April 2025) isn’t reckless. It’s strategic economic containment.
Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent, in a recent interview with Tucker Carlson, dismissed the fearmongering:
“This isn’t about Mag 7 stocks—it’s about MAGA: Making America Great Again. Tariffs are how we level the playing field.”
Bessent laid out why China can’t retaliate. With a broken domestic economy, a collapsing real estate sector, and an export model dependent on U.S. demand, Beijing’s hands are tied. Devaluing the yuan might temporarily boost exports—but it would also trigger capital flight, scare off investors, and crush China’s already battered middle class.
Trump’s critics whine about higher consumer prices. But they ignore the bigger picture: America is no longer subsidizing its own decline. We’re rebuilding. Apple now faces 104% tariffs on Chinese-made iPhones unless it shifts production to U.S. soil. That’s not punitive—that’s pro-growth industrial policy.
China’s Deflection: Denial and Stonewalling
Beijing’s rhetoric is as predictable as it is hollow. After Trump’s tariffs, China’s Ministry of Commerce cried “unilateral bullying” and threatened “resolute countermeasures.” But as Bartiromo noted in 2019:
“The Chinese backtracked on everything they agreed to. They won’t change because their entire model is built on cheating.”
Indeed, the same stonewalling killed WTO tech-tariff negotiations in 2013. More recently, China slapped retaliatory tariffs on U.S. agriculture to target rural voters—but this isn’t economic retaliation; it’s political theater.
Tucker Carlson nailed it:
“China’s whining about ‘blackmail’ is rich. They’ve been blackmailing us for decades—with fentanyl, rare earths, and hollow promises.”
The CCP’s refusal to compromise is not a strategy of strength—it’s the reaction of a regime whose economic engine is stalling.
Reclaiming the Americas: From Vulnerability to Vitality
Trump’s strategy isn’t limited to tariffs. It’s about hemispheric resilience. China has infiltrated critical infrastructure from Colombia to Panama, using debt diplomacy to buy strategic assets. In April 2025, Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth issued a clear message:
“China did not build this canal. China does not operate this canal. China will not weaponize this canal.”
Panama’s exit from the Belt and Road Initiative marks a turning point. By reshoring manufacturing and reinforcing alliances across Latin America, Trump is fortifying the Western Hemisphere against CCP influence.
At home, this means restoring industrial capacity, reducing reliance on hostile regimes, and creating high-wage jobs. Abroad, it means ensuring no port, canal, or power grid in the Americas can be turned into a weapon against the U.S.
As Bessent put it:
“We retain a strong dollar policy. This isn’t about weakening ourselves; it’s about strengthening our position.”
Yes, Blame It on China—But Credit Trump
This isn’t about scapegoating. It’s about finally recognizing the adversary for what it is—and responding with the seriousness it demands.
For 20 years, China played the long game while America played nice. Trump has ended that era. The tariffs are not an escalation—they’re the beginning of American economic independence.
China’s strategy was clear: Hollow us out, hook us in, and hold us hostage.
Trump’s response is even clearer: Reshore. Rebuild. Reclaim.
So yes—blame it on China. But thank Trump for fighting back.
