Re: CIA Director Pompeo makes secret trip to North Korea: Meets with Kim Jong Un
(And don't start about tariffs. We've got the bigger economy but China has second-biggest. Either of our countries could destroy the other's economy for all intents and purposes - we only have so much leverage).
And speaking of the above for a moment:
The West had better damn well recognize one thing about China, something I have been saying for almost twenty years.
If trade and economics ever reached the point where China was feeling enough discomfort that it made them angry enough at the USA, they would think nothing of pivoting back to an austerity plan reminiscent of the days when Chinese were issued a bowl of rice, a bicycle, a set of silk pajamas and a little red book.
The pain for the Chinese government, it's wealthy class and all of the Chinese people would be IMMENSE, it would be very real, and the effects would be long lasting, HOWEVER if that is the kind of sacrifice that China felt it would take to permanently slay the Americans, they would do it in a hot second and they wouldn't care if they had to slaughter 300 million of their own people to enforce it either.
They have enough extra people to spare.
Manufacturing for the USA would cease, trade would cease, debt would be called in and all monies would be diverted to the Chines military.
And the effects on the American AND global economy would be horrific, and most likely permanent.
China is a five thousand year old society and civilization and thus they are fond of thinking in the long term and planning for the long term. And after the US economy collapses, China would cease their austerity program and restart their economic engine and put the finishing touches on their current 21st century Silk Road interconnecting most of the world with their trade ports.
And then, they would extend a very small carrot and a very large stick to the ash heap that was once the American economy and offer to help remedy the situation, if America would accept THEIR TERMS.
And none of this is because America is inherently weak, it's because America became too dependent upon China's cheap labor.