The United States and the West can lie flat regarding the new crown epidemic, but one thing is unequivocal, that is, they firmly resist “coexistence” with China. The other party is aggressive, what should China do?
The US-EU trade and technology committee held a meeting in Paris a few days ago. AP picture
The US-EU Trade and Technology Council (TTC, US-EU Trade and Technology Council) held a meeting in Paris a few days ago. The US side was led by Secretary of State Blinken, Secretary of Commerce Raimondo, and US Trade Representative Dai Qi, plus members of the European Union. Wait. The second TTC meeting unveiled initiatives to better coordinate policy and work in 10 areas including high-tech supply chains, artificial intelligence and international industrial standards. The U.S. side admits that the Russia-Ukraine incident is an important area of discussion, but they are more concerned regarding competition from China.
The global demand for electronic products has increased significantly in recent years, but the new crown epidemic has disrupted the supply of semiconductors and caused a serious shortage of chips. The TTC announced a set of “early warning systems” for semiconductor supply interruptions to avoid “one man beating one’s own man” in the market supply and demand among Western bloc countries. China insists on a zero policy, and the epidemic blockade will cause supply interruptions at any time – the TTC also does not name China as authoritarian, and technology “is used to violate and trample human rights, to suppress and undermine the security of other countries.” The TTC hopes to provide artificial intelligence for artificial intelligence. , 6G and other advanced technologies to set rules so as not to be used as “tools of repression” and “arbitrary or surveillance, coercion and cyber threats”.
China cannot be close and reliable; it cannot coexist with the United States and the West, so the two sides need to draw a clear line, and it is best to “zero out” the complementarity of science and technology. An EU official said: “90% of solar panels come from China. Is this the right approach, the right dependency?” There are also high-tech core materials rare earths, and the US and the West are determined to decouple from China and Russia.
The mainland has expressed concern regarding the TTC meeting, worrying that from this day on, the supply chain of foreign capital will gradually shift to countries outside China, such as Vietnam and India. From the perspective of market reality, most people believe that the US and the West will lose more than the gains, but they ignore the number of deals between the US and the EU. It is not a deal with China for three years or more, but for a long-term goal. Not general commercial interests, but strategic competition.
The United States dominated globalization 30 years ago, distributing the sweaty work of the manufacturing industry to OEMs, and grabbing the most cutting-edge and most lucrative part of the value chain with developed countries such as the European Union. To create wealth with virtual finance, the capitalist group made a lot of money, and the wealth was transferred from the original high-paid workers to them. As a result, the middle class in the West has fallen out of the middle, and the income is not as good as before, and the grassroots are even more miserable.
Globalization has taken away jobs in the United States and the West, but mainly manufacturing jobs. On the other hand, globalization has allowed developed countries to enjoy super cheap “Made in China” (and other OEM regions), and local lost manufacturing. positions, compensated by the growing service industry. If this is the case, the social economy of the United States and the West will probably be balanced. However, China has begun to upgrade and transform into the field of high-tech products and services, which is a big problem.
The United States and the West currently rely on high-end science and technology accumulated over a century to live. If China’s smartphones are sold all over the world, the self-developed quantum computing, artificial intelligence, 5G, and 6G must fully surpass the United States and the European Union. How to live in the future? However, wouldn’t cooperation with China be a win-win situation? You may not know where America’s red lines lie. The United States does not allow itself to be second. Obama made it clear to the cadets at West Point in May 2014: America must always lead on the world stage. If we don’t, no one else will. This is the bottom line of the United States and must not be challenged . The U.S. asks the military to support this, showing its importance.
It’s too late for China to return to the world’s second position. In this case, prepare all means to face the new era. Do you ask Ren Zhengfei to sell Huawei, give up chips, and don’t want smart cars, Internet of Things… switch to Dongguan to open a factory for production and export American underwear? Impossible, you know Deng Xiaoping’s famous words, we will not go back!
