The U.S. Can No Longer Stave Off Competition From China

Over the past two decades, a distinctive type of colors -coded map has become an essential element in the economic press. These maps are designed to show the pioneering trade partner of countries around the world. Gradually at the beginning, and then in a set of change, they were filled with a new color – usually red – as China exceeded the United States as the top bilateral trader with almost every country on Earth.

When China has become the power of dominant trade in the world, to a large extent for its manufacturing ingenuity power, leaders in the West and Asia wondered to any extent – and how Beck could convert his modern commercial strength into a geopolitical advantage. This process was much slower and more limited than expected. It turns out that the patterns created decades ago, when the colonial rule was still widespread, is difficult to remove.

Over the past two decades, a distinctive type of colors -coded map has become an essential element in the economic press. These maps are designed to show the pioneering trade partner of countries around the world. Gradually at the beginning, and then in a set of change, they were filled with a new color – usually red – as China exceeded the United States as the top bilateral trader with almost every country on Earth.

When China has become the power of dominant trade in the world, to a large extent for its manufacturing ingenuity power, leaders in the West and Asia wondered to any extent – and how Beck could convert his modern commercial strength into a geopolitical advantage. This process was much slower and more limited than expected. It turns out that the patterns created decades ago, when the colonial rule was still widespread, is difficult to remove.

The United States was never a great colonial power in the European situation, but it was an unparalleled economic giant for most of the post -World War II era. It was also an English-speaking country in a world in which Britain is greatly formed-one of which has become the rules and Inforn maker in the international community. A language of virtue and values that seem to be registered with people all over the world has developed more than reality, which often failed to upgrade the ideal level.

These features in Washington helped the competition from Beijing even after China began to increase greater trade surpluses. Now, however, the United States allowed these advantages to corrosion – and the worst of that, until they threw it.

In the past few weeks, US president Donald Trump has been busy and managed themselves in madness to reduce the value of these traditional sources of power. They have indicated that the United States is now slowing a world where it may correct the right and power can impose their will on the weak.

The Trump administration has long explained these enemies, such as Iran, which the United States has jointly attacked with Israel shortly after indicating that it will give diplomacy an opportunity to address the nuclear program of Bran. The most interesting thing, though, Washington has applied its cruel approach, highway or highway for friendly countries, including the frank allies. This was not more clear than it was in the field of trade.

In the first months of his second term, Trump boasted that he would be able to quickly reach new trade agreements with a large number of countries, which were wrapped in the slogan “90 deals in 90 days”. Very few of these came to pass. His administration announced agreements with only four countries-Betten, China, Indonesia, Vietnam-and these were naked work frameworks or dealt with few general details.

After a few countries came to Washington to secure quick deals, Trump turned into an equal approach. Last week, he sent messages to the leaders of more than twenty countries, unilaterally announced new conditions to maintain trade relations with the United States.

The language was from one message to another remarkably consistent. These errors put the highly targeted tariff prices, highlighted the privileged concession that the countries that enjoyed simply were able to sell their goods to the Americans, and claimed that the United States had benefited long ago. All Trump prepares large size, even madness, signature at the bottom.

But correspondence is directed at South Korean President Lee Jay Meongg, I caught my attention in particular: “If you decide for any reason to raise your definitions, then, whatever the number you choose to raise it, it will be added to the 25 % that we impose.”

The most strange thing for me was not a vulgarity for Trump, the imposition of tone, or the lack of refinement in official correspondence from an American president. None of them is completely new. Instead, the way the message was separated from the facts of the commercial relationship in South Korea. Seoul has already has a free trade agreement with Washington and imposes nearly zero tariffs on American goods.

This kind of informal arbitrary matters for the future of the United States in a world in which China dominates international trade exchanges. If Trump is able to treat the treaty without thinking like South Korea and Japan – or other countries with closely close relations or even a degree of relying on Washington on their security – it is time to create the new countdown: How long will it take before deducting their relations with the United States and building new economic partnerships and security networks instead?

The answer is not certain, but none of this preaches well for the United States’ position in the world. Ultimately, the allies will change the path as a matter of their prosperity and self -preservation. And if the allies have been able for a long time to start re -calculating the advantages of working with Washington, are countries that are less closely related to the United States fall behind?

Some of the early repercussions of Trump’s actions are already clear, starting with Europe. In recent weeks, Britain and France announced that they will coordinate nuclear weapons arsenals in the event of a foreign attack, while Britain and Germany seriously upgraded their defensive relations. None of the leaders of these countries referred to amplification and servants in the unilateral of these moves, but it is difficult to imagine that they had not in mind the behavior of Washington.

In fact, the Trump administration expected these types of transformations for months, when I suggested that you see any movements by Canada and the European Union to approach politically and economically hostile to the United States.

However, the expectation of these relationships did not prevent Washington from taking further measures that risk greatly risk friends and distort their long -term call to others as a champion of supposed global values. Rising definitions from one side to levels that have not been seen since the early twentieth century may be just a first step on a slippery slope.

To date, Japan and South Korea, which is the key to US authority in East Asia, has been slower than Europe in finding ways to hedge against the wrong and emperor -of -Washington -made style of Washington. But if Trump continues in this direction, China’s policies and behavior will gradually become less concerned about the policies of the United States. With this, at some point in the road, Washington had achieved China unless China could achieve for itself through the superiority of trade alone.