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Over the weekend, the Trump administration signaled that new tariffs on semiconductor imports were on their way. The news dashed any hopes some may have harbored that an announcement on Friday excluding smartphones and computers from steep new tariffs on China indicated a willingness on behalf of the U.S. government to find an off-ramp to the trade war.
It’s a conflict that China seems, for now, willing to engage in. After President Donald Trump hiked tariffs on China, Beijing raised its levy on U.S. goods to 125%, dismissing the U.S. strategy as a “joke” in the process.
Linggong Kong, an expert on U.S.-China relations, suggests that Beijing’s “bring it on” approach is more than just bravado − it is grounded in a confidence that China has the upper hand. Since an earlier trade war with Beijing in Trump’s first administration, China has insulated its domestic economy against the worst effects of a U.S. tariff shock. Meanwhile, Chinese President Xi Jinping is well aware that he has the tools to inflict pain on certain U.S. sectors, notably tech and agriculture.
This week Cambodia will mark the 50th anniversary of the Khmer Rouge's takeover of the capital Phnom Penh. The murderous regime killed between 1.6 million and 3 million people - a quarter of the country's population - during its brutal four-year rule between 1975 and 1979. Sophal Ear is an academic as well as a survivor of one of the worst genocides of the last century. He explains that while Phnom Penh gleams with high rise buildings and luxury malls, the Khmer Rouge’s legacy continues to shape Cambodia - politically, socially, economically and emotionally.
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