The following article by Froma Harrop was posted on the Creators.com website July 19, 2018:
Are President Trump’s threats and insults against our allies just an obnoxious negotiating tactic? It hardly matters, because they haven’t worked. And it’s worse than not working. Trump has turned “made in America” into consumer poison around the globe.
Trump is not content to wage a simple war on trade, itself an economically ignorant endeavor. He feels compelled to also dump invective on the foreigners who buy our goods and services. Whether to entertain his base or to serve the interests of Vladimir Putin, the result is long-lasting damage to our producers. No discernable American interest hides in this rubble.
China is playing it cool so far, but it can also play it hot. When South Korea last year deployed a missile shield — seen as a hostile move in China — a Chinese celebrity told her 2.7 million followers on social media to boycott Korean products. In a mere month, the Korean carmaker Hyundai saw its market share in China fall by nearly half.