China and Free TradeIn the international business class, free trade has been the cornerstone of economic prosperity. But sometimes free trade can flood the market with cheaper products, causing financial problems for the country's businesses. Often, the U.S. government imposes tariffs to help American businesses. But is this the best solution? This is the subject of the article Bush's China-Trade Dilemma by Neil King, Jr., published November 14, 2002 in the "Wall Street Journal." Since China joined the World Trade Organization last year, it has become the third-largest supplier of imported goods and services to the United States. Many American companies complain that China is selling their products at a loss and want Congress to impose tariffs. They accuse China of breaking the free trade agreement it concluded when it joined the WTO. Trade expert Gary Hufbauer says: “It's only a matter of time before we have a repeat of Japan's trade battles, but this time with China. » But many in Washington believe that if the United States files a complaint against China with the WTO, other countries will follow and the WTO system will be overwhelmed with complaints against China. As one US official said: “I'm not sure anyone wants to be the first to hit China at the WTO. » Overall, China has a good record on free trade and is making real efforts to participate in the global economy. But China's success hurt some American companies, and discussions about protectionism began in the United States. So what does Bush do? The administration praises free trade but is seriously considering implementing tariffs to protect certain products. Is this a contradiction? There is another complication that needs to be addressed. Many companies that manufacture in China are actually American-owned, such as Motorola Inc. How will this impact the actions the Bush administration takes? Most Chinese companies are backed by foreign investors. China removes trade barriers, cuts import tariffs, eases restrictions on business licenses..