{"id":2256391,"date":"2024-05-31T05:56:02","date_gmt":"2024-05-31T09:56:02","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/how-to-be-anti-china-and-pro-trade\/"},"modified":"2024-05-31T05:58:55","modified_gmt":"2024-05-31T09:58:55","slug":"how-to-be-anti-china-and-pro-trade","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/how-to-be-anti-china-and-pro-trade\/","title":{"rendered":"How to Support Trade While Opposing China"},"content":{"rendered":"<aside class=\"mashsb-container mashsb-main mashsb-stretched\"><div class=\"mashsb-box\"><div class=\"mashsb-count mash-medium\" style=\"float:left\"><div class=\"counts mashsbcount\">14<\/div><span class=\"mashsb-sharetext\">SHARES<\/span><\/div><div class=\"mashsb-buttons\"><a class=\"mashicon-facebook mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/sharer.php?u=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.conservativenewsdaily.net%2Fbreaking-news%2Fhow-to-be-anti-china-and-pro-trade%2F\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Facebook<\/span><\/a><a class=\"mashicon-twitter mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/intent\/tweet?text=&amp;url=https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/?p=2256391&amp;via=ConservNewsDly\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Twitter<\/span><\/a><a class=\"mashicon-subscribe mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"#\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Subscribe<\/span><\/a><div class=\"onoffswitch2 mash-medium mashsb-noshadow\" style=\"display:none\"><\/div><\/div>\n            <\/div>\n                <div style=\"clear:both\"><\/div><\/aside>\n            <!-- Share buttons by mashshare.net - Version: 4.0.47--><p>The <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/crisis-declared-in-california-as-state-farm-announces-72000-policies-to-be-cut\/\" title=\"California in Crisis as State Farm Plans to Terminate 72,000 Policies\">text discusses<\/a> how the mention\u200b of &#8220;China&#8221; often hinders arguments for <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/under-trump-americans-have-seen-their-best-wage-growth-in-40-years\/\" title=\"Under Trump, Americans Have Seen Their Best Wage Growth In 40 Years\">free trade<\/a>. It highlights the impact \u2063of political decisions influenced by public perception rather than economic analysis. The narrative \u200dexplores \u200cthe\u2062 complexities of <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/fact-check-did-the-soros-family-help-vivek-ramaswamy-go-to-law-school\/\" title=\"Did the Soros family assist Vivek Ramaswamy in attending law school?\">trade \u2064deals<\/a> and the potential benefits \u200bof economic engagement with the Pacific \u2062trade \u200dpact to counter China&#8217;s influence. The text delves into how mentioning &#8220;China&#8221; can impede discussions on free trade, emphasizing political choices driven\u2064 by public opinion rather than economic considerations. It delves into the \u200cintricacies of trade agreements and\u2062 suggests engaging with the Pacific trade pact as a strategy to address China&#8217;s influence.  <\/p>\n<p class=\"readmore\">\n    <button onclick=\"showReadMore()\" id=\"readmorebtn\">Read more&#8230;<\/button>\n<\/p>\n<hr id=\"line\">\n<span id=\"more\"><\/p>\n<div>\n<p>Protectionists have a magic word, a word of talismanic power. The word is \u201c<a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/tag\/china\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" title>China<\/a>.\u201d So potent is its spell that it shuts down any argument for <a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/tag\/free-trade\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" title>free trade<\/a>, however tangential the connection to the dreadful regime in Beijing (about which, for the avoidance of doubt, I am <a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/magazine-columnists\/2962454\/abominable-though-tiktok-is-we-shouldnt-ban-it\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" title>more hawkish than most<\/a>).<\/p>\n<p>China makes politicians lose all sense of proportionality. Never mind that U.S. <a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/tag\/manufacturing\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" title>manufacturing<\/a> has risen in value from $1.5 trillion to $2.5 trillion since China joined the World Trade Organization in 2001; or that the sectors exposed to Chinese competition have created jobs <em>faster<\/em> than the rest of the <a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/section\/policy\/finance-and-economy\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" title>economy<\/a>; or that the few factory jobs lost in those sectors have been replaced by more, and better-paid, jobs in design, research, and marketing; or that China has a better record of compliance with WTO rulings than the U.S. has.<\/p>\n<div>\n<figure><figcaption>President Joe Biden, right, and Chinese President Xi Jinping shake hands before a meeting on the sidelines of the G20 summit meeting on Nov. 14, 2022, in Bali, Indonesia. (AP Photo\/Alex Brandon)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n<p>In the current climate, none of this matters. Voters put imagined security before real prosperity, sometimes, as we saw during the lockdowns, to a catastrophic degree. Democrats and Republicans know how to stoke, as well as to reflect, their electorate\u2019s anxieties. President <a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/tag\/joe-biden\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" title>Joe Biden<\/a> has, at huge cost to American businesses and consumers, imposed <a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/tag\/tariffs\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" title>tariffs<\/a> on Chinese <a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/tag\/electric-vehicles\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" title>electric vehicles<\/a>, solar panels, batteries, and <a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/tag\/semiconductors\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" title>semiconductors<\/a>. Donald Trump <a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/policy\/finance-and-economy\/2941790\/trumps-10-tariffs-1500-tax-hike-families\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" title>wants to go even further<\/a>.<\/p>\n<p>Free traders know better than to swim against this current. Try to argue that China should be contained by military rather than economic means, or that the supposed economic deterrence does more harm to the U.S. than to its intended target, and people will take you for a gullible leftie. So, for sound tactical reasons, the dwindling band of economic liberals in the U.S. focuses on trade deals that might be acceptable to Trump \u2014 such as the bilateral deal with Britain that he pursued as president.<\/p>\n<p>The trouble is that such a deal may no longer be on offer. Britain\u2019s <a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/tag\/labour-party\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" title>Labour Party<\/a>, which is currently 20 points ahead in the polls, is more interested in getting back into bed with the European Union than in a deal with the U.S. In any case, doing a deal \u201cwith Trump,\u201d as the British media would frame it, is politically unattractive. Are we destined, then, always to have our <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/amber-smith-why-young-americans-dont-want-to-serve-in-todays-military\/\" title=\"Amber Smith: Why Young Americans Don't Want To Serve In Today's Military\">political cycles<\/a> out of sync, the Rhett and Scarlett of international commerce?<\/p>\n<p>Not necessarily. There is a way to significantly improve the terms of <a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/tag\/trade\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" title>trade<\/a> between Britain and the U.S., though that would be an almost incidental benefit. The main benefit would be to contain China in the Pacific through economic engagement rather than through retreat.<\/p>\n<p>How? By joining the Pacific trade pact, currently known, in an absurd genuflection to <a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/tag\/justin-trudeau\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" title>Justin Trudeau<\/a>\u2019s sensibilities, as the Comprehensive and Progressive Agreement for <a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/tag\/trans-pacific-partnership-2\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" title>Trans-Pacific Partnership<\/a>. CPTPP brings together key Western allies, including Australia, New Zealand, and Japan, in a deal that covers 11 countries and 13% of global output.<\/p>\n<div>\n<figure><figcaption>Then-President Donald Trump shakes hands with Chinese Vice Premier Liu He after signing a trade agreement in the East Room of the White House on Jan. 15, 2020, in Washington. (AP Photo\/Evan Vucci)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n<p>Ah, you say, but there is no chance of Trump joining. He campaigned against CPTPP in 2016, partly because he is a protectionist, and partly because it had been negotiated by Barack Obama. When he took office, he pulled the U.S. out of negotiations that had been more or less expressly designed around U.S. interests, both economic and strategic. Why would he want to go back in?<\/p>\n<p>Well, things have moved on since 2016. The CPTPP has come into force, albeit without the U.S., and is succeeding. China, seeing America\u2019s withdrawal as a strategic opportunity, was quick to submit a membership bid, followed by Taiwan.<\/p>\n<p>But the existing members, searching for a strategic counterweight to China in place of the U.S., instead admitted Britain (which qualifies as a Pacific state by virtue of owning the Pitcairn Islands). In short, CPTPP is shaping up as exactly the kind of trade deal that conservatives should support, pursuing mutual recognition rather than harmonization, and emphasizing free exchange rather than environmental standards, workers\u2019 rights, or other noncommercial policies.<\/p>\n<p><strong><a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" title>CLICK HERE TO READ MORE FROM THE WASHINGTON EXAMINER<\/a><\/strong><\/p>\n<p>Others have noticed. Six states have asked to join, and another five (including <a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/tag\/south-korea\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" title>South Korea<\/a>) have expressed an interest. Here, in short, is a ready-made alliance, waiting for the U.S. to resume its place at the helm. And now for the best bit. Instead of costing anything \u2014 even from a protectionist point of view, it is hard to deny the damage of retaliatory Chinese tariffs, especially on American farmers \u2014 it would open new markets for U.S. business.<\/p>\n<p>Sure, CPTPP needs a new name to reflect new realities: Pacific Pact would be my choice. But here, if they win, is a chance for Republicans to be pro-farmer, pro-enterprise, and anti-CCP. They should grab it with both hands.<\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<p><\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Protectionists wield a powerful spell with a single word: &#8220;China.&#8221; This term often halts free trade discussions, linking them to Beijing&#8217;s oppressive regime. Even those who are typically tough on China find themselves swayed by this narrative, leading to political shifts<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":3097,"featured_media":2256392,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_mo_disable_npp":"","fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/05\/AP20133396432653.jpg.optimal.jpg","fifu_image_alt":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-2256391","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry"],"fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/05\/AP20133396432653.jpg.optimal.jpg","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2256391","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/3097"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=2256391"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2256391\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/2256392"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=2256391"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=2256391"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=2256391"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}