| | | Bob,
You are talking a nationalist perspective, but that is not how commerce works.
Nor is "quality" all that it's cracked up to be... Not for everyone anyway. For example, you could buy a Le Creuset cast iron pot for $400 that will probably last you 30 - 40 years. Or you could buy a Martha Stewart one on sale for $120 that probably won't last more than 20 years. An argument can be made to go for the latter and just get a new one every 15 - 20 years.
Craftsmen prefer the former. But businesses don't see a point in using parts that last beyond the warranty expiry date.
The relationship with China warmed up during the Nixon administration (GOP) and continued its expansion through successive Republican and Democratic administrations, each increasing the trade and cooperation. Then when things changed, the US pressure started during Obama administration and continued with Trump and now with Biden. Each administration has increased the pressure beyond its predecessor.
My point is that the idea that somehow the US has been nice to China, or any other country for that matter, does not stand to scrutiny. And this is not a Liberal or Conservative thing.
If somehow the US could remove its dependency on China, those industries would still not return to the US. They would go to India, Vietnam, Indonesia, and so on. And this is in fact what is happening, which is why these countries have seen an incredible run in their stock markets.
Capitalism is not the same as nationalism. As Thomas Jefferson observed:
"Merchants have no country. The mere spot they stand on does not constitute so strong an attachment as that from which they draw their gains."
OK, 'nuff politics for now. |
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