"Trade Winds" from episode #0141 “They Might Be Giants: China and the U.S.”

This morning, China published a short list of products exempted
from its tariffs on American made goods. This list comes about a
month before scheduled talks between Chinese negotiators and
Trump administration officials.


 


The current U.S. trade war with China is not unlike previous
conflicts. In this segment from BackStory’s 2015 show, “They
Might Be Giants: China and the U.S.,” host emeritus Peter Onuf
talks to historian John Haddad about how Americans smuggling
opium into China during the 19th century led the Chinese to crack
down on trade that was already very restrictive. And learn how
the Opium Wars were a turning point in Chinese history that still
influences them today.


 


Image: President Nixon gamely tries out his chopsticks at a
banquet given in his honor, 1972. Source: White House Photo
Collection.


 


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