The United States and China seem to have been hovering on the brink of an all-out trade war for many months. That said, bilateral negotiations are underway that some observers believe will lead to a resolution as early as this month. Will a U.S.-Chinese trade deal happen? If it does, will the Trump administration accept concessions that may positively affect the U.S. trade balance with China but fall far short of the structural reforms some analysts say are necessary to healthy trade relations between China and the rest of the world?

After the 2016 presidential election, America dramatically shifted its approach to international trade. Economic nationalism replaced the multilateralism that guided U.S. economic relations since World War II. The newly aggressive U.S. stance is most evident in punitive tariffs imposed on China, which have harmed important U.S. exporters as well. UCSB Professor Gordon Hanson will discuss how U.S. trade policy has evolved over time and will consider likely scenarios for U.S. global economic relations.