Interestingly, I just heard on the radio this morning that China is expressing interest in being part of the TPP. But, I don't buy that the dependence is tilted in China's favor. China has its own dependencies, one of which is their dependence upon exporting to the US and Europe. High tech manufacturing can be migrated quickly, and it already is leaving China for other lower cost producers. The article doesn't mention that the US and China are both nuclear powers with large stockpiles. This is a very important reason why war must be avoided at all costs.The White House claims the proposed Trans-Pacific Partnership will help offset China’s increasing heft. Unfortunately, the pact, which includes 11 Pacific Rim allies but excludes Beijing, will do nothing to fix the problems.
The article makes some good points, but the fact that he opens with this makes me skeptical of his overall claims: China imports something from the US that they can't get elsewhere also: Dollars. Lots of them. They need dollars as much as we need their manufactured goods. That the author ignores this point makes me think he's trying to advance an agenda more so than write an analysis. That said, his point is well taken about diversifying our import base. We can't really impose strict trade limits, but we could certainly incentivize other countries to produce goods that come exclusively from China. I think that electronics will take care of themselves, however. As other SE Asian nations become competitive manufacturers, production will move at the whims of labor costs.Washington’s failure in recent years to keep careful watch over what goods are made where — especially when it comes to such vital items as electronics and drugs — means the United States now depends far more on China than vice versa.
galen Here is an example of a potential foreign threat. there are many. Thread reference: