By Carlton Joseph

US mainstream media leads one to believe that China is the greatest provocateur in the world, that the US and its allies are at China’s and Russia’s mercy, and all the US desires is world peace and security.  Russia’s war with Ukraine, and China’s rise as an economic powerhouse have scared the US and Western Allies into believing that China might replace the US as the global leader and severely test US hegemony. 

The trade war started when former President Donald Trump began setting tariffs and other trade barriers against China, accusing the Asian nation of unfair trade practices and intellectual property theft.  Although this trade war was unsuccessful, President Joe Biden continued Trump’s policy by keeping the $350 billion tariffs intact. Recently, in response to Trump’s campaign rhetoric, Biden threatened a 25% tariff on China’s steel and aluminum products, although imports of steel from China account for only 0.6% of total U.S. steel demand; in fact, the tariff would have no effect on US steel market.

This year, Biden sent Secretary’s Janet Yellen and Antony Blinken to China to “stabilize relations”; unfortunately, these diplomats seem to think that they can threaten and demand rather than negotiate.  Yellen warned against Chinese so called “overproduction” and surging exports of electronic vehicles, solar panels and batteries, claiming that it’s threatening American jobs and businesses.  She also warned China about supporting Russia’s industrial base and helping it wage war against Ukraine.  Does Yellen realize that Russia and China share a 2615-mile border?  Does the US realize that China needs energy and Russia needs manufactured products?

The world needs solar panels, batteries and other things that China produce at extremely competitive prices, making them affordable to the developing world. Does the US want China to stop producing these goods so that poor nations cannot afford the prices, which will surely increase if China stops or curtail the production of these goods? This is White Supremacy in action.

Does Mr. Biden and the US government really think they have the right to travel 7252 miles to lecture China about how to conduct its affairs.  The US and its allies are supporting Ukraine with weapons to defeat Russia, the US is trying to limit China’s economic development, Russia shares a border with China and needs Russia’s oil, US defeating Russia will mean that NATO is now better able to contain China.  Is Biden senile or does he think China’s President Xi Jinping is stupid?

The US also wants China to leverage its relationship with Iran for stability in the Middle East while the US supports Israel with money and weapons, yet seems to be unable or unwilling to control Israel’s marauding behaviour in the Middle East.  Why should China exert influence on Iran anyway?  China and Iran have developed a deep partnership centered on China’s energy needs and Iran’s large energy resources, which clearly poses a challenge to US hegemony – a position that the US has occupied for decades allowing it to see every country as a proxy or pawn in their geopolitical dominance game, and think they can dictate whatever nonsense comes to their heads.

Biden accuses China of maintaining a non-market economy while he has hypocritically initiated several investment laws that give billions of dollars in subsidies and tax breaks to repair US infrastructure and revitalize domestic manufacturing capacity to reduce dependence on China. 

Biden’s sanctioning of chip sales to China has backfired as Chinese companies responded by investing heavily in the chip making industry. The result is that, while China imported 70 % of 28nm and 45nm chips in 2018, today it is a net exporter of 45nm chips.  Also, the US trade war and weaponization of sanctions have forced China to push for de-dollarization. In 2018 China used SWIFT (a money transfer system used to settle trade transactions, and which is basically controlled by the US) to settle 99 % of its trade transactions; currently, China’s use of SWIFT has been reduced to 58%. 

Trump and Biden have lost their trade war and whatever control the West had over China.  China is no longer totally dependent on Western chips or its financial system; China is essentially sanction-proof.

Biden needs to stop the trade war and understand that China is the largest purchaser of advanced chips in the world, and if US or Western firms cannot sell to China, they will not be profitable or be able to survive, and will not be able to develop even more advanced chips in future. 

It is worth emphasizing that fascism is growing in America, while at the same time young people believe that they are worse off than their parents and grandparents. Unfortunately, the main beneficiary of this trend is Donald Trump, whose chance of being elected president is all too real; the country cannot afford four more years of incompetence.

Wars in Ukraine and Israel are fueling inflation globally, and client states, especially Germany is breaking with America’s agenda. The once European economic powerhouse is now making deals with China because breaking with Russia almost broke their economy; so, it would be fatal if Germany loses China.

But actions speak louder than words, so, sending diplomats to talk about stabilizing relations with China a few hours after the US passed a bill for $8 billion in military aid to Taiwan (which is legally accepted as part of China) is hypocritical.  Accusing China of conducting military exercises in its own waters while the US conducts similar exercise with Taiwan and the Philippines in the same body of water insults one’s intelligence. It is time to end the charade and deal with China and all countries as equals.

(Trinidad-born Carlton Joseph who lives in Washington D.C., is a close observer of political developments in the United States.)

The perspectives and viewpoints articulated by the columnist unequivocally do not represent or endorse the official stance or opinions of the publication.