DOCUMENTARY OF THE WEEK — Frontline strikes again with the definitive documentary on the US-China trade war: Having trouble keeping up with the US-China trade war? Or perhaps you are unsure of its origins or the political maneuvers behind it. Well, you’ll have PBS’ Frontline to thank for the most informative hour on the US-China trade war you’ll find out there. The documentary explores everything from the human impact of the trade war in China and the US, to the 5G competition that is shaping up to be the new “space race” in a 21st century Cold War.

Fun fact #1 (spoiler alert): Disadvantageous trade with Asia is probably Donald Trump’s most consistent policy point, as he’d been raving against the Japanese “taking advantage” of the US since the 1980s. His commitment to this issue supports one of the central theses of the film, which is that the trade war, like the very real war in Iraq, was primarily driven by ideologues in the Trump Administration — the “nationalists” — who won out against the “globalists”.

Fun fact #2: US companies basically made their own beds with this war. The film asserts that Trump’s stance is a reaction to decades of muddled US policy on the “unfair” trade policies of China. US companies are the primary culprits. Government officials from the Obama and Clinton administrations interviewed in the film say they would receive repeated complaints from US companies on intellectual property theft, and government subsidies to local companies. But when the government would move to act, the companies would lobby hard for them to back off as it would impact China revenue.

You can check out the full documentary here (watch, runtime: 54:47).