To start off...

In recent weeks, something big has been happening behind closed doors. China, once seen as a rising economic superpower, is quietly backing down in the trade war with the United States. While the Chinese Communist Party won’t admit it publicly, the signs are everywhere, tariffs are being dropped, American goods are being let in tariff-free, and secret early-morning meetings are being held with U.S. officials.

So what’s going on? Why is China caving? To understand it, we have to walk through China’s economic problems, the power of U.S. tariffs, and how President Trump has flipped the global economic system on its head.

1. The Trade War Begins – And Why It’s Not Equal

President Trump announced reciprocal tariffs in April 2025. 57 countries were hit, but China was the real target. The U.S. started with a 34% tariff on Chinese goods, which quickly rose to 145% across all sectors as China retaliated. But here’s the kicker: China sells five times more to the U.S. than we sell to them.

That makes China far more vulnerable. We’re the deficit country, meaning we import more, so China has more to lose. The math is simple: if tariffs stay, China loses up to 10 million jobs. Even if reduced, it could still lose 5 million jobs. That’s devastating.

2. China’s Debt Problem and the Evergrande Collapse

China isn’t just dealing with tariffs. It’s drowning in debt, especially from the real estate sector.

Evergrande, once the world’s biggest real estate developer, defaulted in 2021.

It owed billions, and when it crashed, it dragged down the entire property market.

Home prices have dropped 30% since 2021.

This caused local governments to lose money, developers to collapse, and banks to panic.

China’s economy has been weakened from the inside, and they can’t afford more pressure from the outside. The trade war is hitting them at their worst moment.

3. Raw Materials Dependence – The Ethane Example

China wants to be independent, but it still relies on U.S. raw materials.

Take ethane, a gas used in plastics. Chinese factories can’t make their own. Because of Trump’s tariffs, China slapped a 125% retaliatory tariff on U.S. ethane. But guess what happened?

Their plastics industry started to collapse. Without ethane, the factories shut down. Plastics are used in nearly everything from electronics to packaging. That shut down ripple effects across the economy.

So what did China do? They quietly removed the 125% tariff on U.S. ethane.

And that’s just the beginning.

4. Secret Tariff Removals Across Multiple Sectors

According to Reuters and Gatestone, China is dropping tariffs on:

• Aviation parts
• Industrial chemicals
• Pharmaceuticals
• Semiconductors
• Medical devices

Some American companies in China are even reporting that they are now importing tariff-free.

It’s not public. It’s quiet. But it’s real. China is folding and fast.

5. Xi Jinping Can’t Admit It Publicly

Xi Jinping and the Communist Party can’t look weak. Saving face is crucial in Chinese politics. That’s why all of this is happening in the shadows.

On April 24, 12 Chinese officials, including someone from their Finance Ministry, entered the U.S. Treasury building at 7 AM (before cameras could catch them).

Chinese security tried to block photos. But reports got out anyway.

These quiet talks are proof: China is coming to the table.

6. The Bigger Picture: Trump Is Rewriting the Global Economy

For decades, China grew rich inside the globalist trade system. Organizations like the WTO, IMF, and World Bank. They joined the WTO in 1971 and exploded economically.

But they never became “liberal” like the West hoped. Instead, they used the system to grow their own power.

Now, Trump is tearing that system down. He’s replacing it with economic nationalism where trade deals are bilateral (one-on-one) and based on America First.

This is called mercantilism, where trade is used for national security, not global cooperation.

Under this new system, if China wants to keep selling to America, it has to play by Trump’s rules.

7. Why China Can’t Win This War

Even though China is a major power (the second largest economy in the world), it’s still too dependent on exports, too burdened by debt, and too weak internally to fight a prolonged trade war.

Their economic growth is expected to drop by 2.4% due to these tariffs.

The globalist system they depended on is collapsing.

Trump’s America controls the playing field now.

So they’re doing the only thing they can: quietly giving in.

In the end...

China may act tough in public, but behind the scenes, they’re admitting reality. The trade war is hurting them more than us. Tariffs are being dropped, industries are being saved, and secret meetings are happening.

Trump’s strategy worked because it was based on leverage, facts, and free-market power not on globalist fantasies or Marxist-style central planning.

The world economy is changing fast. And like it or not, America is back in charge.

White Paper Series Title: "Reviving America: A Supply-Side Blueprint for Economic Freedom"

Part 3:
Trump's America First Economic Strategy: A Supply-Side Analysis of Tariffs, Market Reactions, and Global Trade Realignment

Author: the Conservative TAKE contributor
Date: April 10, 2025
Prepared for: Advocates of Free Markets, Economic Nationalism, and American Sovereignty

Executive Summary

President Donald Trump's economic policies have been characterized by a bold commitment to America First principles, emphasizing fair trade, domestic industry revitalization, and strategic tariff implementations. On April 9, 2025, the financial markets responded emphatically to two pivotal developments:

Introduction: Reclaiming American Soil from Foreign Control

If the federal government can seize the private property of American citizens under eminent domain for a highway or a commercial development, then there is no constitutional or moral reason it cannot reclaim farmland from entities tied to the Chinese Communist Party. The Founders gave us tools to defend our nation, not just with armies, but with common sense. Foreign adversaries owning U.S. soil (especially near our military bases, critical infrastructure, and food production) is not merely a policy concern; it is a clear and present danger.

This white paper presents a constitutional and legal framework to expedite the reclamation of American farmland from Chinese control. It leverages the foreign commerce power, national security statutes, and the President’s emergency authorities to ensure that America’s enemies do not hold our land under our flag. This is not a question of partisanship; it is a question of sovereignty, security, and survival.

A Constitutional Strategy for Immediate Federal Action

I. Executive Summary

Foreign ownership of U.S. farmland by adversarial powers, chiefly the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) and state-backed corporations, poses a growing national security threat. This paper outlines a rapid federal strategy, rooted in the Constitution, to reclaim such land without delay, drawing from the Foreign Commerce Clause, national defense powers, and historical precedent.

II. Constitutional Foundations

1. Foreign Commerce Clause – Article I, Section 8, Clause 3

• Congress has exclusive power to regulate commerce with foreign nations.

• Includes transactions such as land purchases by foreign entities.

2. National Security and Executive Power – Article II

• The President, as Commander-in-Chief, is charged with protecting the homeland.

• Land owned by adversaries near sensitive infrastructure justifies direct executive action.

3. Takings Clause – Fifth Amendment

• Applies only when property is taken for public use and from persons under U.S. protection.

• Foreign adversaries are not entitled to constitutional protections where national defense is implicated.

III. Immediate Federal Tools & Pathways

A. Executive Orders Under IEEPA

Legal Basis: International Emergency Economic Powers Act (IEEPA), 50 U.S.C. §§ 1701-1707

• Allows the President to block, freeze, or seize property of foreign entities during a national emergency.

• Past uses: Freezing Iranian, North Korean, and Russian assets.

Recommended Action:

• Declare a National Emergency under IEEPA.

• Issue an Executive Order targeting all farmland held by:

  • Chinese government-affiliated entities.

  • Corporations with substantial CCP ownership or direction.

• Immediate asset freeze, pending investigation and divestment orders.

B. Legislative Expansion of CFIUS

Legal Basis: Foreign Investment Risk Review Modernization Act (FIRRMA, 2018)

• CFIUS reviews foreign acquisitions affecting national security.

• Can already block land purchases near military bases.

Legislative Proposal:

• Amend FIRRMA to:

  • Mandate review of all past farmland acquisitions by Chinese entities.

  • Authorize retroactive divestment.

  • Criminal penalties for concealment or shell company evasion.

C. Emergency Use of the Defense Production Act (DPA)

Legal Basis: Defense Production Act of 1950

• Authorizes the federal government to prioritize resources for national defense.

• Includes infrastructure, agriculture, and logistics.

Proposal:

• Amend to classify U.S. farmland as critical infrastructure.

• Allow for emergency federal acquisition or forced divestment.

IV. Legal Precedents: Supreme Court Support for Federal Takings

1. Berman v. Parker (1954)

• Government may seize private property for public use under broad definitions of "public interest."

2. Hawaii Housing Authority v. Midkiff (1984)

• Redistribution of land ownership deemed a valid public use.

3. Kelo v. City of New London (2005)

• Controversially upheld taking private property for economic development.

• Though not favored by conservatives, it affirms broad federal takings power.

Implication: If liberal justices upheld Kelo, a national security-driven seizure from a foreign adversary is even more defensible.

V. Strategy for Compensation

• No automatic compensation for foreign adversaries under national security exceptions.

• If Congress chooses to offer payment:

  • Must be discretionary.

  • Based on strategic calculus, not constitutional requirements.

VI. Summary of Recommendations

VII. Constitutional Rationale: Why the U.S. Can Reclaim Farmland from Foreign Adversaries

Eminent Domain and the Fifth Amendment

Under the Takings Clause of the Fifth Amendment, the government may take private property for public use, provided just compensation is paid. This doctrine has been upheld in cases like:

• Berman v. Parker (1954)

• Kelo v. City of New London (2005)

In these cases, the government was allowed to take land from American citizens for purposes like economic development or public improvement, even when those purposes were indirect.

So the Question Must Be Asked:

If the U.S. government can take farmland from its own citizens for something as vague as "public benefit"... then why should it hesitate to take land from entities tied to the Chinese Communist Party (our geopolitical rival) for the defense of the nation?

This is not just a legal justification—it's a national imperative.

Foreign Adversaries Have No Greater Rights Than American Citizens

Foreign state-affiliated corporations do not enjoy greater constitutional protection than American citizens. In fact, they enjoy fewer protections when:

• They are operating under foreign influence,

• Their actions pose a national security risk,

• Or their property is subject to emergency wartime or national defense powers.

Precedents for Seizing Enemy Property

• World War II: The U.S. seized German and Japanese-owned property under the Trading with the Enemy Act.

• Iran (1979) and Russia (2022): The U.S. froze and seized assets of foreign governments and oligarchs involved in hostile actions.

Bottom Line:

The Constitution allows us to take land from Americans under strict conditions. But when it comes to land controlled by hostile foreign powers, the bar for action is lower, not higher. This is especially true under emergency powers and national defense doctrine.

VII. In the end: the Founder's Take...

The Founding Fathers feared foreign influence as a threat to liberty and sovereignty. As Alexander Hamilton warned in Federalist No. 68, we must guard against "the desire in foreign powers to gain an improper ascendant in our councils." Reclaiming American farmland from CCP hands is not only prudent; it is constitutionally imperative.

This is not a partisan issue. It is a question of sovereignty, security, and survival. The Constitution was not written to tie our hands in the face of foreign aggression; it was written to empower us to defend this nation. We cannot allow our farmland, our food supply, our infrastructure, our very soil to be owned or controlled by those who seek our decline. Now is the time for bold, lawful, and decisive action. Reclaim the land. Protect the Republic. And remember: no enemy has the right to what generations of Americans have fought and died to preserve.