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The fallout from the trade wars could be horrific if Trump refuses to back down, while the countries he’s attacking ratchet up their own responses, whether in terms of tariffs or simply a refusal to buy American goods.

What does it mean for two powers to face off, both of whom stand a significant chance of seeing some of their major coastal cities flooded and destroyed in the century or less to come?

Would the US be better off helping stabilize the Chinese economy, rather than gearing up for a trade war?

World peace, “the most important topic on earth….not merely peace for Americans but peace for all men and women – not merely peace in our time but peace for all time.” That was 1963, the president was was John F. Kennedy. Contrast to today and the desire for ever greater stockpiles of nuclear bombs.

In other words, U.S. tariff threats are, in reality, a bargaining chip to get the Chinese government to accept stronger protections for the intellectual property rights and technology of leading U.S. firms in industries such as pharmaceuticals, aerospace, telecommunications, and autos.

The US trade deficit is the result of a conscious globalization strategy by large multinational corporations. This strategy has greatly paid off for them. They have been able to use their mobility to secure lower wages, reduced regulations and lower taxes.

The project is Beijing’s big experiment in outsourcing, and a $10 billion shot in the arm for the African nation—if there isn’t a civil war first.

The Chinese Communist Party, at its 19th Congress, set the goal to eliminate extreme poverty by 2022 and then begin process of "socialist modernisation." The challenge the country will face is to combine economic growth with environmental protection and to address the extreme inequality within society.