General Discussion
Related: Editorials & Other Articles, Issue Forums, Alliance Forums, Region ForumsTrump escalates China trade dispute, economic ties lose stabilizing force
The United States for years relied on economic interdependence with China as a stabilizing force in relations with Beijing, with business between the two nations forming what former treasury secretary Hank Paulson used to call the ballast in U.S.-China affairs.
But as President Trump escalates his trade dispute with Chinese President Xi Jinping, there is a realization that those days are gone. The result is a reduced incentive for stability and restraint in Washington when it comes to China, raising the possibility that tensions could extend beyond the trade sphere and impact other areas of contention, including Taiwan or the South China Sea.
The way a lot of people have been talking about this is that you have lost, or youre losing, the ballast, said Zack Cooper, a research fellow at the American Enterprise Institute and a former official in the George W. Bush administration. The challenge now is that there is not much of a constituency that wants to protect the relationship amidst trade tensions, security concerns and human rights concerns.
The U.S. military is expressing growing alarm about Chinas defense buildup. Human rights advocates are crying foul over Chinas use of surveillance technology and internal reeducation camps for Muslims. And some American business executives, who once prized China and advocated for a more conciliatory stance toward Beijing, say they feel stung by what they see as unfair practices, ranging from intellectual-property theft to rules that require partnerships with local Chinese entities.
https://www.washingtonpost.com/world/national-security/as-trump-escalates-china-trade-dispute-economic-ties-lose-stabilizing-force-in-matters-of-national-security/2019/05/19/61d50abc-78da-11e9-ac17-284a66782c41_story.html?utm_term=.038ef1da4ed4&wpisrc=nl_rainbow&wpmm=1
beachbum bob
(10,437 posts)China now decimated and will never return. China has found new sources for all of their imported grains. No new markets will replace the Chinese market for farmers.
Control-Z
(15,682 posts)Another win.