Trump's China tariffs showdown makes war likelier

After his April 2 “Liberation Day” announcement of tariffs on most of the planet unleashed stock and bond market chaos, President Donald Trump backtracked. For now, his tariffs are focused on the People’s Republic of China.

What exactly Trump’s aim is with his trade war against Beijing remains unclear. Is it reducing the United States’s substantial trade deficit with China? Is it bringing manufacturing back to the U.S.? Is it generating income for our deeply indebted federal government (even though Trump insists tariffs aren’t a tax)? Is it righting financial wrongs committed by China since it was admitted to the World Trade Organization in 2001?