Are Tariffs the Best Way to Win a Trade War with China?

Guests: Eric Priest, LLM, JD, Associate Professor of Law, University of Oregon; Sean Pager, JD, Professor of Law, Michigan State University The US trade war with China is an on-again, off-again affair. As of today, it’s back on. President Trump announced he is moving ahead with a 25% tariff on $50-billion worth of Chinese imports and says he’ll impose new limits on Chinese investment in American high-tech companies. At the root of Trump’s concern is China’s unfair use of stolen intellectual property, like patented software and designs. The hope is that taxing Chinese products at a higher rate as they come into the US will make it so hard for Chinese companies to compete that China will get serious about enforcing intellectual property protections.