Trump’s tariff threat puts China’s leader in a bind

In Beijing, President Donald Trump’s new threat to hike tariffs on Chinese goods has not gone over well. Stocks fell 5% in one Chinese stock exchange, 7.4% in another, and the currency tumbled. Politically, this puts Chinese leaders in a tough position. They want to end this trade war, but as we know, all politics — even in China — is local. And President Xi Jinping cannot afford to look weak before a domestic audience.