I found this round table at Foreign Affairs on whether U. S. policy was too hostile towards China interesting and you may as well. The panelists are pretty evenly divided with one more individual disagreeing that our policy is too hostile than agreeing albeit two with low confidence levels. The others seem to have pretty strongly formed opinions.
Contrary to what you might believe I am not anti-China in my views. I am strongly anti-CCP and, consequently, anti-Xi but not anti-China. Indeed, if anything I’m pro-China. But I’m pro-U. S. and I don’t think that present U. S. policy is sufficiently pro-U. S. So, for example, I think that the U. S. should be importing a lot less from China than it does, particularly with respect to commodities that have little labor component. We should be producing a lot more of what we consume than at present.
However, to persuade me the panelists would have needed to address two questions so I could calibrate my views:
- What is the U. S. policy with respect to China?
- What would a policy hostile to China look like? One friendly to China?
neither of which is addressed although one or two of the panelists come close. Some concrete examples might be helpful. Are freedom of the seas exercises in the South China Sea hostile to China? How about tariffs on Chinese goods? I don’t see either of those things as being anti-China but they do maintain longstanding U. S. interests.
Turning the question around are any of China’s policies anti-U. S.? If so what would be an appropriate response?
I’m not convinced there is a China policy. There seem to be a half dozen or more factions, each with a different vision and goals, competing for control. The result is the confusion of both the Obama and Trump administrations, when one or more of the factions openly disputed Presidential choices. Bolton and Pompeo actually publicly vetoed Trump’s agreement with Kim.
I repeat my opinion that the real problem in the world today is the adventurism and aggression of the American elites, who refuse to countenance any independent power anywhere on earth. Kneel or die is their firm policy. With China a full peer and Russia a near peer, this attitude can only lead to disaster.
Yeah, that’s sort of my point. Unlike France or Germany American foreign policy is an emergent phenomenon. It’s hard to speak of a coherent policy.
the adventurism and aggression of the American elites:
And threats won’t work because the entire world is aware we can be defeated or forced to a draw going all the way back to leaving Stalin’s protege on the throne in N. K.