logo
episode-header-image
Apr 2025
20m 49s

China Unleashes a Trade War Arsenal

THE WALL STREET JOURNAL & GIMLET
About this episode

In the early days of President Trump’s second term, China was ready to negotiate on trade. Then came Liberation Day. Now China is ready with a trade war arsenal taking aim at U.S. companies. WSJ’s Lingling Wei explains how China is gearing up for an extraordinary conflict with no immediate exits. Kate Linebaugh hosts.


Further Listening:

- Trump’s Tariffs Force a New Era in Global Trade  

- The Trade War With China Is On 


Sign up for WSJ’s free What’s News newsletter. 

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Up next
Jul 14
Why Elon Musk’s AI Chatbot Went Rogue
Last week, Grok went rogue. The AI chatbot – which users can interact with on X – posted antisemitic comments and graphic descriptions of violence before being deactivated, leaving users with a question: Where were Grok’s guardrails? WSJ’s Alexander Saeedy breaks down what happen ... Show More
22m 52s
Jul 11
Can Superman Save Warner?
The man of steel is back in a new $225 million reboot. Riding on this weekend’s release is the hope that DC Studios will finally begin to match the past successes of its archrival Marvel. Its parent company Warner Bros. Discovery views DC Studios as critical to its success or fai ... Show More
22m 36s
Jul 10
Who Will Be the Next Fed Chair? Maybe Kevin
For years, President Trump has feuded with the Federal Reserve and Chair Jerome Powell over interest rates. And now, two Republicans named Kevin (Kevin Hassett, one of Trump’s closest economic advisers and Kevin Warsh—a former Fed governor) are vying to be the next chairman of th ... Show More
22m 47s
Recommended Episodes
Apr 2025
China Readies Its Trade-War Arsenal
A.M. Edition for April 10. Relief sweeps through global markets after President Trump blinked on reciprocal tariffs yesterday, even as the U.S. and China hurtle toward an all-out trade showdown. China bureau chief Jonathan Cheng explains Beijing’s options as it prepares to hit th ... Show More
13m 57s
Jun 27
Markets Near Record Highs as U.S., China Sign Trade Deal
A.M. Edition for June 27. The White House says the U.S. and China have signed a trade deal struck last month, with China agreeing to speed up delivery of rare-earth minerals. WSJ reporter Kim Mackrael says a trade deal with the EU is also taking shape, and could see the bloc lowe ... Show More
12m 32s
Apr 2025
Trump Considers Slashing China Tariffs
P.M. Edition for April 23. We exclusively report that President Trump is considering cutting steep tariffs on Chinese imports, a move that could de-escalate the trade war. WSJ chief China correspondent Lingling Wei tells us what that means for the broader relationship between the ... Show More
13m 30s
Apr 2025
Trump’s tariff war with China
China has adopted a “wartime footing” in response to U.S. President Donald Trump’s triple digit tariffs. But both Trump and Chinese President Xi Jinping have a lot to lose in this fight. So who will blink first? On this weekend episode, our correspondents in Washington and Beijin ... Show More
20m 55s
Feb 2025
China Seems Unstoppable. Trump Thinks Otherwise.
Over the past week, President Trump avoided a trade war with Canada and Mexico. But he escalated a trade war with China.His reasoning? China has become more powerful in domestic manufacturing than the United States, Japan, Germany, South Korea and Britain combined.Keith Bradsher, ... Show More
27m 21s
Apr 2025
Holiday special: Driving toward a trade war with China
​This week, EU Confidential is on a spring break — but with trade tensions between the U.S. and the rest of the world (China in particular) escalating, we thought it was the perfect moment to revisit a timely episode from our archives. As Trump’s new trade war heats up, with trip ... Show More
31m 33s
Jan 2025
How Will China Deal With Trump 2.0?
A.M. Edition for Jan. 17. A barrage of stimulus helps China hit its growth target, but with Donald Trump about to take office, the economic outlook is darkening. The WSJ’s Jason Douglas explains how Beijing is preparing to deal with higher U.S. tariffs—and how a trade war could p ... Show More
11m 12s
Feb 2025
Trade Wars: Trump vs China
Having implemented - then temporarily rescinded - tariffs on Canada and Mexico after both countries struck last-minute deals, Donald Trump now has his sights firmly focused on China. Following his announcement of a 10% tax on their imports to the US, China retaliated with their o ... Show More
25m 52s
May 16
Here's Why China's Trade War Strategy Is Working
The US and China have agreed to slash import tariffs for 90 days to allow for further negotiations. The deal is a major pullback of America's trade offensive, and comes after Chinese President Xi Jinping has taken a defiant stance against Donald Trump. Bloomberg Opinion columnist ... Show More
9m 15s
Apr 2025
Trump’s trade war, bond selloff, Ukraine and China
Donald Trump's sweeping tariffs kick in, including a 104% duty on Chinese goods. It deepens a global trade war, triggering carnage on global markets and sending U.S. bonds plunging. Consumers are waiting for the impact. Plus, President Volodymyr Zelenskiy says two Chinese men fig ... Show More
12m 40s