Wednesday, March 4, 2026

Instead of defeating China, Trump is accelerating its rise on the global stage

by Dr Ramzy Baroud

If you are not paying attention to the dramatic developments between China and the United States, you must understand that something consequential has just taken place.

The US government is backtracking—if not altogether retreating—from the trade war and broader escalation it launched against China. Unlike the hyped language and repeated threats by President Donald Trump to impose massive “reciprocal tariffs,” to “decouple” the US economy from China, and to correct “the greatest theft of wealth in the history of the world,” the retreat is happening in hushed tones and coded diplomatic language.

“I think both countries concluded that having an all-out global trade war between the United States and China would be deeply damaging to both sides and to the world,” US Secretary of State Marco Rubio said on 25th February.

He called this new phase one of “strategic stability.”