At the time of this writing, the United States seems to be pushing itself to the brink of a trade war with China. The timing couldn’t be worse.China’s economic growth over the past twenty years has led to greater stability throughout the region, new economic ties, and less dependence on trade with the West. Should punishing U.S. tariffs lead to less U.S./ China trade, regional trade will almost certainly increase, leaving the U.S. out of a thriving market. Keep in mind that the Trans-PacificPartnership was an existing, regional organization before the U.S. ever joined the negotiations.在录制本节目时，美国似乎将自己推向了与中国贸易战的边缘。时机糟透了。过去二十年来，中国的经济增长导致整个地区更加稳定，新的经济联系以及对西方贸易的依赖性降低。如果惩罚性的美国关税导致美中贸易减少，几乎可以肯定的是区域贸易将增加，从而使美国脱离繁荣的市场。毕竟在美国加入谈判之前，跨太平洋伙伴关系组织是一个现有的区域性组织。