Comments on US-China Trade Conflict and the Changing Multilateral Trading System: Korea's Perspective

Abstract

This paper deals with two specific themes relating to the U.S.–China trade conflict: the impact of the U.S.–China trade war on South Korean foreign trade and the U.S. attempt to squeeze China through the World Trade Organization (WTO). The paper is motivated by the concern that the root cause of the trade conflict is U.S.–China hegemonic rivalry, a fundamental concern that goes well beyond the widening trade deficit experienced by the United States in its bilateral trade with China, and hence it is bound to persist much longer than many anticipate.