US should not force China to shut door to it

In an opinion piece for the Financial Times this week, US President Donald Trump's top trade adviser Peter Navarro accused Beijing of building "a Great Wall of denial" about what he alleged was its "illicit and protectionist" behavior.

Well-known for his extremely hawkish views on China, such allegations roll lightly off his tongue, but when he went on to spin the suggestion that the Trump administration is acting to realize its vision of a "global trading system free of the imbalances and unfair practices", even he must have found it hard to get the words out.

Not only has the Trump administration been acting like a child in a playpen coveting the other kids' toys by withdrawing or threatening to withdraw from previously agreed deals, it has also been threatening to build a Great Wall of tariffs if it doesn't get the favorable treatment to which it believes it is entitled.