You mean like the farmers and their subsidies? Look at how it's working for them. Welfare only sounds bad if and when people want it to it appears.
China has a bigger economy and has more goods to export. Their manufacturing cost is less.
The US has less to export and their manufacturing cost is much higher.
Tariffs aren't going to solve this problem. We need China more than China needs us. Unless you're talking about debt. They hold $1.2 trillion dollars of it and could definitely use it in an all out trade war.
china is putting tariffs on our agricultural and farming because that is one their biggest imports (reason being is that our food products from crops to meat are FDA/USDA approved. due to our strict guidelines, they know they're getting good quality food). china is merely playing tit for tat, they know if we ban food exports to china, they will be eating their own poisonous foods (abundant of swine flu, high concentration of chemically induced vegetables, polluted waters and etc).
and you're exactly right, china has bigger economy and more goods to export (thanks to america)...however, if we're not buying, they will be the one who's hurting. we import about $550 billion of china's goods, while they're importing $180 billion from the US...that is about $370 billion in deficit. if we shift our demands to vietnam, mexico, india and other countries (similar in cheap labors and cost effective products), plus creating our own companies, due to demands...chin
a is going to be in a world of hurt, and you know...they are not going to let other countries take our business away.
china NEEDS us to buy their products!