A Comparative Analysis of the United States’ Trade Frictions with China, Japan and South Korea, 1985-2016

This article investigates the interplay between interstate economic and security relations by conducting a comparative analysis of United States’ (U.S.) trade frictions with China, Japan and South Korea. The data demonstrate that the U.S. responded to its East Asian allies during the Cold War with retaliatory measures when they started to make trade surpluses against the U.S. Thus, it could be expected that the U.S. would respond to its mounting trade deficit against China after 2001 even more decisively, since it has had territorial disputes with this country. However, our analysis indicates that the U.S. followed a more docile approach with China until its 2008 economic crisis. This puzzle is explained by a number of economic and political factors. Our analysis concludes with insights for the coordination of trade and security policies at the governmental level and for the World Trade Organization’s dispute settlement mechanis