'Everything's on the table': Wall Street may be next battle in Trump v. China war

Source: Politico

‘Everything’s on the table': Wall Street may be next battle in Trump v. China war

Such a move could come at a precarious moment. The markets have already been rattled by the trade war, and mass delistings could shock investors even more.

By Declan Harty

04/15/2025 01:28 PM EDT

Washington is exploring a new weapon in President Donald Trump’s escalating trade war: throwing Chinese companies off American stock exchanges.

As the White House doubles down on massive tariffs on China in its bid to reorder global trade, administration officials and the president’s supporters are leaning further into the prospect of delisting the nearly 300 Chinese companies that trade on U.S. exchanges.

Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent said “everything’s on the table,” when asked about it last week. Kevin O’Leary of “Shark Tank” and a vocal Trump ally argued that it would help pressure China “to come to the table” on negotiations. And Sen. Rick Scott (R-Fla.), whose concern about Chinese companies on U.S. exchanges dates back years, sees Trump’s hardline stance on China as a potential opening to ratchet up scrutiny on those entities and give them the boot once and for all.

“The U.S. capital markets are the envy of the world, providing unparalleled access to funding for companies worldwide. However, this privilege comes with responsibilities, chief among them being transparency and adherence to our financial disclosure rules,” the Florida Republican said in a recent letter to incoming Securities and Exchange Commission Chair Paul Atkins. “It is alarming that Chinese companies continue to enjoy access to American capital while refusing to play by our rules.”

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Read more: https://www.politico.com/news/2025/04/15/trump-tariffs-trade-china-wall-street-00291026