At some level it’s just a national security imperative, whatever the cost is, we can’t afford to have a supply chain that starts in China. And we can’t outsource whole swaths of industry and become completely reliant on a foreign competitor for a whole range of consumer goods. Some of these may may be American branded goods, made in places like China, but Chinese producers, to pick one country, will eventually just replace those brands with their own.

Free trade was never free trade though. These agreements were long and complicated, and in the case of China, the Chinese government heavily supported the development of their industries. It wasn’t a fair competition.

And on the other side, the American politicians who pushed these trade deals were often compromised by foreign money.

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Posted by crazy4lsu

Member since May 2005

36430 posts

Posted on 12/17/23 at 11:38 am to Lima Whiskey

quote:
Free trade was never free trade though. These agreements were long and complicated

That’s how all FTA’s are.

quote:
in the case of China, the Chinese government heavily supported the development of their industries

Do you think other governments do not do that? The US, Japan, Taiwan, and many others have long histories of the state essentially guiding capital investment.

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Posted by SlowFlowPro

Simple Solutions to Complex Probs

Member since Jan 2004

425100 posts

Posted on 12/17/23 at 11:54 am to Lima Whiskey

quote:
At some level it’s just a national security imperative, whatever the cost is

Might as well just go full on Leftist and call it "infrastructure"

quote:
And we can’t outsource whole swaths of industry and become completely reliant on a foreign competitor for a whole range of consumer goods.

If we don't, then we devolve and our SOL goes way down.

I'm not married to China at all. I wish we'd invest more in Mexico and Central America. It would not only maintain our economic dominance but also likely thwart all the illegal immigration and solidify the border.