James Skinner
China began 2025 by escalating its economic conflict with the United States, further intensifying the ongoing trade war. In anticipation of President-elect Donald Trump’s entry into the Oval Office, a champion of tariffs as a key component of his economic agenda, China implemented trade restrictions targeting several American companies. These actions included a ban on the export of “dual-use” products—those with both civilian and military uses—and restricted the operations of ten firms involved in arms sales to Taiwan.
For decades, U.S. policymakers operated under the assumption that integrating China into the global economy would encourage its political and economic liberalization. This belief shaped decisions like granting China entry into the World Trade Organization in 2001 and turning a blind eye to egregious human rights abuses and rampant intellectual property theft. The idea was that as China grew richer, the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) would adopt democratic principles to align with its people’s aspirations. But this approach was disastrously misguided. Instead of liberalizing, the CCP exploited these concessions to entrench its power and expand its global ambitions.
Trade, for the CCP, is not merely an economic tool but a strategic weapon to achieve geopolitical objectives. While Beijing shields its domestic industries with strict policies, it leverages exports and foreign investments to project influence and coerce compliance from other nations. Over the past two decades, China has overtaken the United States as the largest non-continental trading partner for nearly the entirety of the South American and African continents, gaining political leverage in these regions. This influence has tangible consequences.
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