This was posted on facebook by a friend of mine who was a longtime Dennis Hastert aide (I played on their softball team periodically: Denny's Grand Slam, which made for some awkward jokes when his past was revealed).
Anyway, while I don't necessarily agree with everything in the article, I think the overall point is correct and the last paragraph sums up the situation succinctly. https://www.wsj.com/articles/the-missing-china-trade-strategy-1537313246
"If Mr. Trump wants to change Chinese behavior, he should first finish a new Nafta, drop his blunderbuss steel tariffs on allies, forget new auto tariffs, negotiate a zero tariff deal with Europe, and re-enter the Trans-Pacific Partnership. Then lead a coalition to confront Xi Jinping from a position of strength with targeted trade enforcement rather than scattershot tariffs. The real worry is that Mr. Trump supports tariffs for their own sake, and he may not want a China deal. With Donald Trump and trade, you never know."
Anyway, while I don't necessarily agree with everything in the article, I think the overall point is correct and the last paragraph sums up the situation succinctly. https://www.wsj.com/articles/the-missing-china-trade-strategy-1537313246
"If Mr. Trump wants to change Chinese behavior, he should first finish a new Nafta, drop his blunderbuss steel tariffs on allies, forget new auto tariffs, negotiate a zero tariff deal with Europe, and re-enter the Trans-Pacific Partnership. Then lead a coalition to confront Xi Jinping from a position of strength with targeted trade enforcement rather than scattershot tariffs. The real worry is that Mr. Trump supports tariffs for their own sake, and he may not want a China deal. With Donald Trump and trade, you never know."
