Hello from the Heartland. My name is Jenna, and this is Smarter News, news when it matters and why it matters.

Our Smarter series features unique people who help us think and live smarter.

Walk around your household, pick up any number of items, and you'll see the Made in China label.

It's just one obvious reason why a trade policy between America and China matters.

The relationship between the two largest economies in the world will not only impact just them, but the entire global economy. This week, the U.S.

and China signed phase one of a trade agreement. President Trump called it, quote,

one of the greatest trade deals ever made, end quote. His critics have a different opinion.

One writing in the New York Times, quote, trade wars rarely have victors.

They do, however, sometimes have losers, and Donald Trump has definitely turned out to be a loser, end quote.

Hmm.

Admittedly, the components of this trade deal are complicated.

And with such varying degrees of opinions, it would take me an

army of fact checkers to figure out what's what in a timely manner. So I did the next best thing

and found someone who provides some balanced analysis, acknowledging there's both good and bad

in this deal. In fact, our guest doesn't call it a win or a loss. He calls it a truce.

I've interviewed China analyst and author Gordon Chang over the years.

He's not afraid to call it like he sees it, and he has a unique perspective, having worked

and lived in Hong Kong and China for more than two decades.

Gordon always has a way of bringing us back to the bigger picture like this. China has made it clear

that it's attacking our society across the board. It's attacking our democracy. In May of last year,

they actually even declared a quote-unquote people's war on the U.S. And we got to remember that with our commerce,

we are enriching China. They're using the proceeds of that commerce to build up their military

...