Many have tried not to buy Chinese-made items, but this is close to impossible. Everything from prescription drugs to you appears to have come from a country whose regime is proving to be America’s greatest adversary and growing enemy.
For this reason, now may be the ideal time for the US to respond to the threat of Chinese expansionism where it hurts most: the Chinese economy.
As the New York Times reports, “Investment in China stagnated this spring after hectic activity in late winter. Exports are shrinking. Fewer and fewer new housing projects are being started. Prices fall. More than every fifth young person is unemployed.”
According to the Department of Commerce, “U.S. textile product imports from China, valued at $50.3 billion in 2021, accounted for 32.6% of total U.S. textile product imports.” Moreover, China remained the main source in 2021 of US imports of furniture, bedding, lamps, toys, games, sports equipment, paint and other miscellaneous manufactured goods.”
The U.S. trade deficit with China is a whopping $355.3 billion, up $45 billion (14 percent) from 2020, when it was $310.3 billion, according to DOC.
Robby Smith Saunders is Vice President of National Security for the Coalition for a Prosperous America. She writes, “Economic statecraft should be our number one goal right now when it comes to China and mitigating the threat to the US and to US democratic values, economic and security interests.” But instead of making some tough financial, investment, Making export and business decisions, our policymakers want to keep the flow of money and knowledge between China and the US for as long as possible while preparing war plans for Taiwan. It doesn’t make any sense to me.” …
… The United States should declare its intention to break away from China by starting to manufacture more things in that country, starting with prescription drugs. If China ever decides to shut down production to bend Washington to its will, the consequences could be dire.
Among other things, this would require politicians to unite in a bipartisan and patriotic effort to slow or even halt China’s plans for world domination. I suspect that many people would be willing to pay at least slightly higher prices for things that are now made in China if they could be persuaded that it was in the best interest of their country and its future. …
… This from the Center for Strategic & International Studies should be the starting point for any argument for a changed economic relationship with China: “It should be noted that incidents of Chinese espionage far outnumber those in any other country. even Russia. The long-term costs to the American economy and national security cannot be precisely quantified, but estimates place billions of dollars in economic and technological espionage. Chinese espionage also caused untold damage to national security by stealing weapons technology, including data on nuclear weapons tests. In recent years, China has expanded its espionage activities to include theft of large amounts of personal information, political coercion and influence-peddling.” …
… If we don’t start now, we’ll regret it later. It might already be too late. Secretary of State Antony Blinken told NBC News that his trip to Beijing was an “important start” in stabilizing US-China relations. He also said countries should put the spy balloon incident behind them.
The Chinese have not progressed. The Wall Street Journal reported Tuesday that China and Cuba are negotiating the establishment of a new joint military training facility on the island, sparking alarm in Washington that it would allow Chinese troops and other security and intelligence operations to be stationed just 100 miles off the Florida coast could lead .
How much closer will we allow them to come?
Readers can email Cal Thomas at [email protected]. Search for Cal Thomas’ latest book, A Watchman in the Night: What I’ve Seen Over 50 Years Reporting on America (HumanixBooks).
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