Chinese chip giant calls on US tech to help out with Trump tariffs – not a quid pro quo, obviously One of China's largest chipmakers is calling on corporations in the United States to bring more pressure to bear on President Trump to end his trade row with the Middle Kingdom. Tsinghua Unigroup chairman Zhao Weiguo said US businesses should "relax and sleep well", and urged them to do more to ease tensions rather than worry …
This dispute is not just about trade. The US government has a long laundry list of demands which effectively demand that China restructures its economy to suit US corporate interests and especially its banks. It really is a war in a real sense because the price of peace is effectively domination by one side over the other. This, as anyone who has just a cursory understanding of Chinese history and culture, is just not going to happen. The US cannot win and the Chinese will not lose, a classic standoff. The only way out is going to be fudge and fiddle because the US has got to back off its demands but not only can it not do this easily without losing face but also there are powerful interests in the US that actually believe that its the US's Manifest Destiny to spread their will across the globe. (UK readers may not know this but there's actually some pretty weird types in government, not just "Trump" weird but "Serious Space Cadet" weird, its the downside of running a democracy.)
Asking industry's help to provide pressure is probably a good thing to do. China is a formidable competitor but this is the nature of business, they want to buy and sell and they have a lot to offer. We can and should rise to their challenge but if we don't the rest of the world is just going to wander off and leave us in our isolation. We're a big market but not the only one.
You are in danger of being labeled a conspiracist not least because you are correct. Manifest Destiny was the cry that justified the wars against Mexico and annexation of what became most of the South Western US, it was also the cry used to justify the appalling treatment and breaking of treaties with the native peoples of North America.
Many will tell you Manifest Destiny was a thing in the mid nineteenth century but in fact it never went away.
"The US cannot win and the Chinese will not lose, a classic standoff"
It's not really. The US's influence is rapidly declining along with its economic clout and one big worry is that the country will start throwing its nuclear toys out of the cot if things don't go its way. In any case the USA wouldn't be the first economy in the history of the world to send itself down the shitter with its military overspending.
China's playing a long game and really all they need to do is be patient until the next squirrel comes along to distract the americans. They're currently concentrating on rebuilding the trading paths that the Portuguese destroyed 500 years ago and in the process are likely to rebuild a lot of African economies that the Portuguese flattened in their quest to become the world's dominant sea power.
“Russia, if you’re listening, I hope you’re able to find the 30,000 emails that are missing,” "... because you’d see some beauties there.”
China, if you’re listening, I hope you’re able to find compromising pictures the Russians may be having. ... because you’d see some beauties there. You'll find that they will make sanctions magically disappear.
"We've always been at war with eastasia"
Back when China first opened up, companies like Walmart pushed many businesses to utilize Chinese manufacturing to help the Walton's make more money. As did much of the tech sector. Problem is now apparent - we have handed over many of the keys to the manufacturing sector to the Chinese, Scot-free. Hoist on our own petard, so to speak. Blame falls into the lap of capitalism, and the 90 day short sighted thinking that this entails. Trump, using his 'Big Brain' has decided that China suckered the manufacturing sector, when in reality the manufacturing sector made its 'own goal' from sheer greed. There will be no easy fix for this problem.
Trade wars are not good. Hopefully this one will be resolved soon but that is unlikely. Trump is playing politics very well but that does not necessarily translate into doing good economics. This could be due to his beliefs in trade or maybe to hold on to an easy win (a problem he created and can quickly resolve) for when he needs one.
Having the Chinese make chips cheaper than the US can make them brings down the cost of a lot of electronics. Some people may not like the off-shoring of some manufacturing but yet would likely argue against the required lower wages and pollution involved happening in their own country.
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