U.S. trade policy has been a dizzying mess these past several weeks, from levying ill-conceived steel and aluminum tariffs on Canada, Mexico, and the European Union, to the president’s charade at the G-7 summit in Quebec to the Senate’s feckless decision to block consideration of Sen. Bob Corker’s, R-Tenn., efforts to reclaim congressional authority over trade.

After a brief simmering in tensions between Washington and Beijing, now comes news that the Trump administration will move forward with tariffs on $50 billion of Chinese products to combat allegedly abusive trade policy practices. China is the right target, but the president’s unilateral tariffs represent a missed opportunity.