The People’s Republic of China has used its statecraft to weaponize its trade with other countries
on several occasions in recent years. Such behavior usually arises when the PRC interprets another country’s actions as hostile to its political interests and resorts to nonofficial sanctions, tariffs, regulations, and consumer boycotts that damage a host nation’s economy.
These actions don’t follow market sentiments and can be revoked without a change in any underlying economic concerns the PRC initially used to justify its imposition. Many targeted countries
use terms such as economic coercion to refer to trade decisions intended to alter a nation’s policies, behaviors or decisions.
