In the Media

After President Donald Trump began his second term, he swiftly escalated the trade war by imposing a 25% import tariff on steel and aluminium products, along with ‘reciprocal tariffs.’ Dr. Jing Li, Deputy Program Director of International Business and Global Management at HKU Business School, said although Trump aimed to attract manufacturing back to the United States, history—such as the 1930 Smoot-Hawley Tariff Act—showed excessive protectionism often backfired, raising import prices, straining supply chains, and increasing uncertainty for businesses and consumers.