We get plenty of interesting comments on the blog but also some silly ones, and all too often the discusion deteriorates into a tedious China good/U.S. bad or vice versa spat, with nationalists on both sides spitting vitriol at each other. A reader calling himself (herself?) Guiyang Laoshi made a reasoned alnalysis about the issuse of what may happen in the U.S. Congress in the next few months and also wrote a conclusion that is good advice for all of us writing about Sino-U.S. relations:
I once thought too that with its massive population, determination and glorious history that China could survive fine on its own without the US. From the other side, the US would simply have to forgo the comfortable middle-class lifestyle made more affordable by cheap imports from China if it were to try and block out Chinese goods.
China’s economic rise has been based loosely on the East Asian export-oriented development model. What does this mean? It means that China’s economy grows by producing goods for export. While the US is not China’s largest market – that would be the EU – the US is the second largest and a very major consumer. Yes, Chinese goods are making inroads in Russia, Southeast Asia and Africa but these markets are tiny in comparison to the US. China’s factories that keep the population employed and content with their rising standard of living are mostly for export. If the US were to suddenly stop buying Chinese products (although such an extreme trade war is completely impossible) China’s economy would suffer greatly. Chinese workers would be thrown out of work and social stability would be severely threatened.
For the US, no red-blooded American is about to give up their standard of living in order to make a point with China. While there will be calls for a boycott of Chinese goods I highly doubt these would become widespread. Moreover, where would such a boycott end? Many components are made in China. Even though my Dell laptop is assembled in the US many of the parts are made in China. Should I stop buying Dell to make a point?
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Unless China is willing to experience extreme economic hardship OR the US is willing to forgo affordable consumer goods, China and the US will continue to need each other. Let’s accept this fact and solve the problems we have – and there are many – without resorting to name calling or threats from BOTH sides