My theory all along on the Trump tariffs have been that they’re a hammer designed to force trade concessions. They’re not Trump’s preferred policy, but they’re the mechanism he thinks he needs to get other nations to negotiate more favorable trade deals. I’m not sure trade imbalances represent the economic problem the president thinks they represent, but it’s clearly a priority for him.
That being the case, he certainly seems determined to hammer China harder than any other country in the world. He must really want that better China trade deal!