President Donald Trump’s proposal to hit China with massive, NATO-wide tariffs is a direct and audacious challenge to the “no limits” partnership proclaimed by Xi Jinping and Vladimir Putin. The plan is designed to test the limits of that friendship by making it incredibly costly for Beijing to maintain.
By suggesting tariffs of 50% to 100%, Trump aims to create a clear economic choice for China: continue your robust economic support for Russia and risk catastrophic damage to your export-driven economy, or scale back your partnership with Moscow to preserve access to lucrative Western markets.
This move is a calculated attempt to drive a wedge between the two authoritarian powers. It recognizes that while their geopolitical goals may align, their economic interests are very different. Russia is a seller of raw materials, but China’s prosperity is deeply integrated with and dependent on the global economy that the U.S. and its NATO allies dominate.
The proposal is essentially a dare to Beijing. It questions the “no limits” nature of the partnership by imposing a very real and very high limit: the potential loss of trillions of dollars in trade. Trump is betting that when faced with such a stark choice, China’s economic self-interest will ultimately outweigh its strategic commitment to Russia.