#TradeWarEases The trade war between China and the United States motivates Lawrence J. Lau to write his book. As of its publication date, it encompasses three rounds of U.S. tariffs of 25% ad-Valorem on Chinese imports with a cumulative value of 250 billion dollars (B), and a Chinese tariff response at rates between 5% and 25% ad-Valorem on U.S. imports with a cumulative value of 110 billion dollars (pp. 2-3).

Lau aims to achieve three objectives: first, to show that, while worthy of consideration, the effects of the trade war are relatively manageable for the United States and China; second, to demonstrate that the cause of the trade war lies in the economic and technological competition between China and the United States, along with the rising nationalist and populist sentiments in the world; third, to illustrate that “collaboration and cooperation” between the United States and China is potentially a positive-sum game.