Donald Trump and U.S. Trade Policy: Different Isn't Necessarily Tougher

Media coverage of U.S. trade policy with China and other countries has been remarkably one-dimensional. The coverage almost exclusively treats the issue as being one of relative toughness. While this is certainly the way some politicians, notably Donald Trump, speak about trade, it conceals the real issues involved.

The United States pursues a variety of agendas in its trade negotiations. Naturally it does not get everything it wants, it prioritizes some items over others. In some areas it cl...