At the last
This battle over trade marks only the early rounds of the US struggle with China. China’s economic success was achieved in large measure by taking advantage of the working people of both China and the US. It was made possible because the US allowed it to enter the world’s free trade system.
Because China entered the West’s economic ecosystem a generation ago, it has flourished. In the past 30 years, China has snatched an astronomical $4.4 trillion from the US. Additionally, there is $200 to $600 billion annual loss due to China’s theft, and several million highly paid US manufacturing jobs that have been lost. The Chinese working people have also paid and continue to pay the price for the regime’s ambition: wages are artificially low, and labor conditions are Dickensian. Once a worker leaves the factory, there are other dangers for workers’ health due to chronic air and water pollution in all of China’s cities.
The Chinese could not have done this on their own. The US contributed to the creation of its most powerful enemy by giving the PRC access to markets, capitals, technologies, higher educational systems, and talent. All of this permitted China to build its economic might, which, in turn, allowed it to create a formidable military with an increasing capability to project its power globally.
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See Also:
(1) China’s Communist Dictatorship Targets American Creativity
(2) Why US-China trade talks are about more than trade
(3) President Trump’s tariffs, once described as negotiating tools, may be here to stay
(4) China Names Its Trade-Deal Price as Trump Sets Month Deadline
