U.S. relations with China have been incredibly complex for many years. Ebbing and flowing among different trade policies, the two economic supergiants are poised to see increased strain amid new tariff plans.
The re-elected incoming president Donald Trump campaigned on imposing high tariffs on China and all foreign entities—which economists have argued will have devastating consequences on domestic prices and trade relations. At Fortune’s Global Forum on Monday in New York City, Merit Janow, independent board chair at Mastercard and professor at Columbia University, weighed in on how these policies will impact U.S. businesses. Janow recalled bleak U.S.-China relations in the aftermath of the Tiananmen Square massacre in 1989, and how the countries’ partnership entered a dark period. But then came eras of great cross-trade, where both countries flourished.
