There is no such thing as "Free Market" when trading with China. Pretty every non-trivial trade with China is in fact a trade with their government, which is anything but a reflection of freedom in any shape of form.
But this isn't simply protectionism. In terms of dollar value and jobs lost, the drone trade is minuscule. It's about military technology and spying - and this is not paranoia, I guess I can't prove it to you, but I can at least say it.
It seems like the exact opposite is true. China in some sense doesn't abide by free market or free trade principles, and this can be seen as a principled stand against that.
But I have been having more and more doubts when it comes to China. Free trade has not made China a more free place. It looks like they are just using their economic power to hurt freedom everywhere.
I am all in for free trade. US government and media love to bash China. When you look in the mirror, US government adopts protectionism yourself just like other countries do. You think you hold the high moral ground while you are just as dirty. It's not backed by my personal belief. Maybe you live on Mars. There is plenty of evidence there. Go take a look at NSA's PRISM program, a mass surveillance program. Go check the news on US government spying on German Chancellor and your own people. Go ask Edward Snowden and Julian Assange.
Good for them to raise up against a totalitarian. If all free all free. But if one sided close boarder by china, do not blame others not to let its app to go to the world.
It definitely is. But the magnitude is much different. China makes it very hard to do business in a wide spectrum of industries. That's their right. But it's not free trade in any sense.
That wasn't the free market. The US decided to make it cheaper to ship goods from China to the US then it is for businesses in the US to ship inside the US. Government intervention all the way.
China is not only a dictatorship, but a market that is closed or highly restricted to most US businesses. Free trade isn't an option if the US wanted it.
Also it's important to keep in mind trade with China is not "free trade" since it's a one way street. China has massive barriers to entry, with high tariffs and restrictions making it extremely difficult to compete.
America primarily sells technology. China primarily sells goods.
China is totally free to sell goods into America. China has blockaded America's technology, unless the companies agree to essentially hand over IP so China can steal it (Huawei operated a cash bonus scheme for stolen IP, according to the DoJ).
Google left China. Uber sold their share of market to Didi. US has blocked many deals when Chinese companies are involved. There is never free global trade, it is just exploitation at different scales. Global trade happens because some countries need dollars to buy weapon, oil and technology. You buy $1.99 USB cable from China, and the profit from 100 million cables will be used to buy intel chips and Boeing airplanes. It is the same that the profit of 100 kilos of coffee beans from Africa countries will be used to buy weapons from US. We don't need global trade if there is no weapon in the world.
How is this allowed from a free trade perspective? Not to diminish the human rights portion, but even from a purely financial standpoint how does China get away with this?
Free market does not need to be a two way thing to function. If the Chinese have to spend their money on non-US goods, those earning thw profits will be more inclined to spend their money on US goods.
Exports is what you pay for your imports. It's better for US citizens to be able to buy Chinese products even if Chinese citizens can't buy us products. They can pay for it by exporting to other countries from which China buys.
China is not playing by the same rules that the US or any other western country is. They don't believe in free trade, they have heavy restrictions on imports and exports out of the country, money transfers to other countries, and foreign investments, they effectively block non-Chinese internet services, and of course all of this has astounding levels of government subsidies.
China setup a new trade deal in the beginning of the new year however it’s been pretty contentious due to the alleged human rights violations (I say alleged as China denies them). Prior to this China did trade with specific countries.
> You're technically correct - but consider that China is simply too big to be run as a dictatorship, and the CCP do not act in the interests of their citizens' human rights and individual freedoms.
I don't understand what China's leadership is afraid of such that they have their internet filter and suppress independent journalism. You can't have economic freedom without individual freedom.
I’m not really here to defend or attack China - it just annoys me that such blatant misinformation is being spread.
But this isn't simply protectionism. In terms of dollar value and jobs lost, the drone trade is minuscule. It's about military technology and spying - and this is not paranoia, I guess I can't prove it to you, but I can at least say it.
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