We should mention that the Trump regime fought a trade war with the entire world except Russia and North Korea. Even the penguins got taxed, but not Putin.
Also, I see a lot of stressed farm buyouts and bankruptcies DESPITE a bailout. It sure doesn’t look like China’s leverage over the US economy was overblown in places like Arkansas or Montana.
Let’s just admit the obvious: this was about Trump wanting payoffs and butt kisses and not anything resembling coherent, legal, or even sane policy.
Sorry Robin, but I am truly confused by your post.
China's exports in 2025 were $3,776 billion, 5.5% above 2024. The TOTAL GDP (not even imports) of Macedonia, Morocco, Ecuador, Zimbabwe, Mali, and Suriname is $359 billion. Are you really suggesting that China could offset any reduction in exports to the US with exports to those countries? Seriously?
“The charts above show monthly data for China’s exports…in the first four months of 2026…[relative to] the same four months in 2024… [are up 50-150%]. These are massive increases, which you can see just by eyeballing the charts.”
As I eyeball the charts, what I see is a continuation of the longstanding, nearly exponential increase of Chinese exports, essentially unaffected by Trump’s illegal national sales tax (aka “tariffs”).
U.S. tariffs did not destroy China’s export system. They forced it to keep operating through lower margins, broader market dispersion, more complex transshipment networks, and stronger downward pressure on global prices.
For China, this is a cost. For the United States, it is not a victory either.
Only Western former and current colonial powers, such as the United States, have created vassal states. Trade, by contrast, creates relationships between sovereign states based on mutual benefit. Such arrangements are transactional, and either side can suspend or terminate them when the benefits no longer outweigh the costs.
We should mention that the Trump regime fought a trade war with the entire world except Russia and North Korea. Even the penguins got taxed, but not Putin.
Also, I see a lot of stressed farm buyouts and bankruptcies DESPITE a bailout. It sure doesn’t look like China’s leverage over the US economy was overblown in places like Arkansas or Montana.
Let’s just admit the obvious: this was about Trump wanting payoffs and butt kisses and not anything resembling coherent, legal, or even sane policy.
Sorry Robin, but I am truly confused by your post.
China's exports in 2025 were $3,776 billion, 5.5% above 2024. The TOTAL GDP (not even imports) of Macedonia, Morocco, Ecuador, Zimbabwe, Mali, and Suriname is $359 billion. Are you really suggesting that China could offset any reduction in exports to the US with exports to those countries? Seriously?
You write:
“The charts above show monthly data for China’s exports…in the first four months of 2026…[relative to] the same four months in 2024… [are up 50-150%]. These are massive increases, which you can see just by eyeballing the charts.”
As I eyeball the charts, what I see is a continuation of the longstanding, nearly exponential increase of Chinese exports, essentially unaffected by Trump’s illegal national sales tax (aka “tariffs”).
U.S. tariffs did not destroy China’s export system. They forced it to keep operating through lower margins, broader market dispersion, more complex transshipment networks, and stronger downward pressure on global prices.
For China, this is a cost. For the United States, it is not a victory either.
What has the impact been with developed countries?
Only Western former and current colonial powers, such as the United States, have created vassal states. Trade, by contrast, creates relationships between sovereign states based on mutual benefit. Such arrangements are transactional, and either side can suspend or terminate them when the benefits no longer outweigh the costs.
It would be interesting to see how the structure of the small countries' exports has changed over the period.