Tariffs are bad? People will rationally buy products cheaper than Chinese imports. The red Chicoms don’t have a monopoly on any goods except rare earth metals.
Farmers can be subsidized for a few years to offset their market loss. Food can be stored or redistributed. Venezuela certainly needs humanitarian food. It’s not like farmers haven’t subsidized before. The crappy ethanol mandate in our gas made Iowa farmers rich at our expense.
The Donald’s trade war is a twofer win. Weakens China and strengthens America.
The current problem is time for transition
How long will it take to transition a ton of manufacturing to capable nations to create new sources?
Xi is betting that Trump will be gone before that transition on a scale that matters can occur. He believes americans actually like Chinese made stuff and will not tolerate a permanent China tax.
So, it may boil down to how long can the Chinese economy tolerate the intense strain?