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FT: Opinion: Trump is sowing the seeds of an anti-American alliance
FT - Trump is sowing the seeds of an anti-American alliance
By targeting allies and neighbours with tariffs, the US is playing into the hands of China
Gideon Rachman 2 Hours Ago
/snip/
The strategic consequences for America are less immediately obvious — but could be just as serious and even longer lasting. Trump’s tariffs threaten to destroy the unity of the western alliance. He is sowing the seeds of an alternative grouping formed by the many countries that feel newly threatened by America. Co-operation will be informal at first, but will harden the longer the tariff wars go on.
The collapse of western unity would be a dream come true for Russia and China. Trump himself may not care; he has often expressed his admiration for Vladimir Putin and Xi Jinping. But Marco Rubio and Mike Waltz — the men Trump has appointed as secretary of state and national security adviser — both claim to believe that containing Chinese power is the central strategic challenge facing the US.
If that is the case, it is profoundly stupid for Trump to impose tariffs on China, Mexico and Canada. In so doing, he is creating a convergence of interest between these three countries — as well as the EU, which has been told it is next in line for the tariff treatment.
When the Biden administration took office in 2021, the EU was poised to push through a new investment agreement with China. But that was abandoned after pressure from Washington and blunders by Beijing. By the end of the Biden period, the US and the European Commission were working closely together on efforts to “de-risk” trade with China and to restrict exports of key technology.
The Biden administration’s key insight was that, if the US is engaged in a global contest with China, it is much more likely to prevail if it can persuade the other advanced democracies to work alongside it. Trump, by contrast, has decided to go after America’s allies much more vigorously than its adversaries. The likely consequence is that he will drive those allies back towards China.
/snip
By targeting allies and neighbours with tariffs, the US is playing into the hands of China
Gideon Rachman 2 Hours Ago
/snip/
The strategic consequences for America are less immediately obvious — but could be just as serious and even longer lasting. Trump’s tariffs threaten to destroy the unity of the western alliance. He is sowing the seeds of an alternative grouping formed by the many countries that feel newly threatened by America. Co-operation will be informal at first, but will harden the longer the tariff wars go on.
The collapse of western unity would be a dream come true for Russia and China. Trump himself may not care; he has often expressed his admiration for Vladimir Putin and Xi Jinping. But Marco Rubio and Mike Waltz — the men Trump has appointed as secretary of state and national security adviser — both claim to believe that containing Chinese power is the central strategic challenge facing the US.
If that is the case, it is profoundly stupid for Trump to impose tariffs on China, Mexico and Canada. In so doing, he is creating a convergence of interest between these three countries — as well as the EU, which has been told it is next in line for the tariff treatment.
When the Biden administration took office in 2021, the EU was poised to push through a new investment agreement with China. But that was abandoned after pressure from Washington and blunders by Beijing. By the end of the Biden period, the US and the European Commission were working closely together on efforts to “de-risk” trade with China and to restrict exports of key technology.
The Biden administration’s key insight was that, if the US is engaged in a global contest with China, it is much more likely to prevail if it can persuade the other advanced democracies to work alongside it. Trump, by contrast, has decided to go after America’s allies much more vigorously than its adversaries. The likely consequence is that he will drive those allies back towards China.
/snip
1 replies
= new reply since forum marked as read
= new reply since forum marked as read
