Heightened trade tensions between the U.S. and China over the last few days, that seemed to catch many media outlets and pundits off-guard, were actually always lurking just beneath the surface. U.S. negotiators had indeed made headway with China in talks over the last several weeks, provoking even optimism from President Trump just days before he increased tariffs on some $200 bn worth of Chinese goods from 10 percent to an economically damaging 25 percent. However, U.S. negotiators pushed too hard. White House economic adviser Larry Kudlow said…
