Global trade has always rewarded leverage, not fairness. For years, China gamed the system while others played by the rules. The imbalance was never an accident — it was a design Beijing perfected.
This recalibrated tariff drop isn’t retreat. It’s a calculated pause — from 145% to 30% — that relieves pressure on key imports while holding China to a mirror. Their 10% counter-tariff is symbolic compliance, not strength. Markets surged, but momentum without discipline is just noise.
The next 90 days are a stress test. If China uses this window to regroup instead of reform, the full weight returns — sharper, targeted, and with broader backing. This move isn’t about easing up. It’s about drawing a line: reform or recoil.