US-China Trade and Summit Leverage

Trump deploys pre-summit squeeze tactics—tariffs, tech curbs, visa restrictions—to gain leverage before Xi's September visit. New tariffs on 60 trading partners over forced labor claims escalate trade war. Chinese scholars see it as bargaining but warn it could backfire. Trade 'gentleman's agreement' holds but tensions mount. An opinion piece calls for confronting China's trade tactics, arguing currency manipulation and WTO accession devastated US middle class, challenging the current narrative.