I am a car produced in the United States. These days it's getting harder for me to join my peers across the Pacific Ocean to reach the world's largest car market – China. That's because now I am subject to a 40 percent tariff if I want to enter China.

You see, it didn't have to be this way. We were ecstatic in May when China announced that it would lower tariffs on auto imports from 25 to 15 percent starting July 1. That enthusiasm turned out to be short-lived as the US escalated trade tensions with China.