US will aggravate self-inflicted wounds by persisting with tariffs

The United States imposed 25 percent tariffs on $16 billion of Chinese goods on Thursday, forcing China to retaliate and impose tariffs on US goods of equal value.

The US move, although expected, does not bode well for the ongoing talks in Washington, in which the US delegation is supposedly seeking to find common ground with China.

US policymakers must know that it is dialogue, not tariff-based pressure, that is the only way to escape a destructive full-on trade war, but the Donald Trump administration continues to promise further tariffs, perhaps believing it can bend Beijing to its will.