In the context of globalization, the trends of international trade liberalization, both at the multilateral and regional levels, have been emphasized. However, when we talk about contemporary economic trends, there are increasingly strong protectionist trends that inevitably affect changes in trade policy goals, so the instruments used by trade policy are also changing. Also, the appearance of trends of slow globalization, the so-called slowbalization leading to conditions in which there is still a steady trend of globalization continuing, but at a slower pace. Such slow globalization consequently leads to the trend of increased regionalization and the creation of stronger ties on a regional basis. The aim of this paper is to answer the question of how these contemporary trends affect the change in the implementation of trade policies, and the noticeable strengthening of protectionist trends. It is a well-known fact that the United States is a country with one of the strongest protectionist policies, and the current trade war between the United States and China has led both countries to implement a series of protectionist measures that greatly affect changes in their trade policies. Therefore, the trade war between China and the United States was chosen for the case study as an example to illustrate the changing trade policy influenced by contemporary trends. It will provide insight into the causes of the trade war, list everything that preceded it and describe its course, as well as the consequences that have occurred and may occur regarding the outcome of the same.