But the situation might be far worse than that. China’s attack on the NBA is happening against the backdrop of the Trump trade war meant to fulfill his protectionist economic agenda. And according to a CNN report, Trump last June promised Chinese President Xi Jinping that the U.S. would remain quiet on pro-democracy protests in Hong Kong while trade talks continued.

So in exchange for China maybe ordering more sorghum and soybean purchases and Trump getting a needed political win, Beijing gets a freer hand in Hong Kong. This, combined with the betrayal of our Kurdish allies in Syria, vividly shows the price that the America First ideology extracts both in blood and honor.

There’s a growing domestic political consensus that America needs to counter China’s growing economic, military, and political influence — especially as China drifts toward a more extreme authoritarianism. And given the deep economic ties between the two nations, American business will be on the front lines, even if all the current tariffs are removed. How will Washington help?