@lain @arcana @Zettour I suppose it's easier to imagine it with cars than something is cheap as rice

if China can produce a car for $25,000 but American manufacturers can only build an equivalent car for $35,000, the tariff guarantees that Americans have to spend an extra $10,000 on the same product which means they have $10,000 less to spend on other goods and services in their community.

It keeps an inefficient American business model alive which is ridiculous. It's very anti-capitalism / free-market.

"What if China is subsidizing their auto industry to undermine the American industry?"

good. let them destroy their RMB. There will be consequences later.