The trade imbalance between the United States and China continues to soar. Calls for a trade deal from the corporate world are getting louder, while the public grows worried about foreign competition. Chinese officials complain about Western meddling, and ordinary American businesses are caught in the middle. The year is 1841, and John Tyler has just taken office as the tenth U.S. president, promising to pursue an agenda of “national greatness” at home and abroad.
President Donald Trump has blamed his recent predecessors for the current tensions with China, but many of the dynamics in today's trade war have been at play for centuries. In fact, while Richard Nixon's 1972 visit is often remembered as the moment that opened ties with China, America's relationship with the country goes back to its founding—and it has always been one centered on trade.
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