It's a multi-part series that's been airing recently as part of PBS NewsHour. I learned that it's 10 parts. They're also up on YouTube via China: Power & Prosperity - YouTube and they so far range from 5.5 to 12 minutes long each. I've watched each of them and some are interesting. I have heard of their Belt and Road initiative numerous times on NPR, thru my dad and some other news sources. Titles so far are: - Taking stock of China’s growing power and prosperity - China's massive Belt and Road initiative builds global infrastructure -- and influence - How President Xi Jinping is transforming China at home and abroad - Impact of U.S.-China trade war felt in both countries - China is producing billionaires faster than any other nation
Unfortunately, the answer to China in the US is isolationism and the same with Brexit in the UK. Nostalgically wishing and taking action to bring back the "halcyon days" of earlier times never worked in the past and will never work in the future. Protecting markets with tariffs hinders progress while China prospers and passes us by in the world market. The only true way for the West to compete is innovation and create newer and better products and better prices.
Sure, nobody wins in a trade war. China suffers, too. Tariffs are taxes paid by the consumer. China has patience and will wait it out. They will reconfigure for the burgeoning middle class in Asia and South America as the West stagnates as dis Europe after WWI.
China exports to rest of world: China Exports | 2019 | Data | Chart | Calendar | Forecast | News Below the chart one can select longer time ranges. Ten-year chart says all that I might with words.
American farmers have been hurt by the trade war. NPR and IIRC CNBC (e.g. on shows on their channel and Nightly Business Reports) have discussed it a bunch. Google for npr farmers hurt by china tariffs soybeans and limit the time to 1 year. gives an example of a bicycle factory in the US being hit. It's one of MANY MANY examples.
Tariffs have unintended consequences and skews the system in favor of one political and economic group. In the 1830's the UK passed the "corn laws" with exceptionally high tariffs and forbade the importation of foodstuffs from foreign countries. That was politically pleasing to the English gentry and even a large majority of other subjects who despised the Irish Catholics. Nature intervened with the Potato Famine of the 1840's and resulted in the migration of the Irish Catholics to the United States who was also so despised in the US. Today, the original Irish Catholics have become about one half of the white population in the United States and one of the most productive groups in the country. The consequence is the great loss to the UK. This is just one of the many damaging results of tariffs.
Yep! Also, hurting the US consumer with an additional "value added tax." Nobody wins in a trade war, but China can wait it out longer. The China of today is not like the China of even five or ten years, ago. Unlike the past, the European nations are no longer the ultimate trade partners. There are may other emerging agricultural suppliers and manufacturers. The same thing happened with the Vietnam War. Lest, how soon we forget.
