Advertisement

Opinion | US-China relations: Disconnecting from global trade helps no one

  • Beating the drums of war and decoupling trade might aid domestic politics, but no one in their right mind can support a nuclear arms race amid a global pandemic
  • Disconnecting global trade and free flow of information only increases costs for all, reducing resources to deal with domestic inequalities

Reading Time:3 minutes
Why you can trust SCMP
A China Cosco Shipping container ship sails past the skyline of Qingdao in eastern Shandong province on July 28. China’s transformation into an economic power is premised on its integration into global trade networks. Photo: AP

This is the age of disconnection. Covid-19 has shown all the flaws of global connectivity. The virus travels with human beings and forces us to have periodic lockdowns to stop transmission, buying time to bring it under control.

Advertisement

Commenting on the pandemic, Foreign Affairs magazine laments the US failure to prepare as well as to contain, saying, “What is killing us is not connection, it is connection without cooperation.”

Globalisation was the great connector, created by a unipolar order which saw free trade as beneficial for the world as well as itself. However, the shift to a multipolar order made America insecure and everyone else unsure.

A wounded animal is dangerous, emotionally hurt and lashing out at perceived rivals. China as No 2 falls into that category. In separate speeches, US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo, Attorney General William Barr, national security adviser Robert O’Brien and FBI director Christopher Wray made their case for containing China.

00:48

‘Frankenstein’ China requires more assertive global response, says US top diplomat Pompeo

‘Frankenstein’ China requires more assertive global response, says US top diplomat Pompeo

Do their analyses of China make global sense? Beating the drums of war, decoupling trade and splintering the internet may sound great for domestic politics, but no one in their right mind can support a nuclear arms race amid a global pandemic and possibly the worst economic depression since the 1930s.

Advertisement
Advertisement