Written by Scott Chipman
The current pandemic has exposed a lot, and almost all of it is bad. Maybe the most concerning issue being exposed is our unhealthy relationship with China—not the Chinese people, but the communist China government.
The Chinese government has intentionally lied and covered up COVID-19 origin, numbers of infections, and deaths. They have gone so far as to “disappear” their own doctors who might have been a source for more accurate information. The official news agency publicly threatened to deny pharmaceutical drugs and equipment to the United States, saying, “If China announces that its drugs are for domestic use and bans exports, the United States will fall into the hell of a new coronavirus epidemic.”
https://twitter.com/adammilstein/status/1250898710038339585?s=11
Our relationship with China has never been worse
Our relationship with China has never been worse and, in reality, it has never been better either. For decades, our national leaders have refused to acknowledge in any serious way that communist China is not our friend—they are our enemy. A “friendly” nation would not:
- Steal our intellectual property
- Manufacture and deliver deadly illicit drugs such as Fentanyl to intentionally kill American citizens and burden our health care and social systems
- Engage in continuous viral electronic attacks on our data systems
- Send spies to infiltrate our industries and academia for nefarious purposes
- Unleash potential biological weapons such as COVID-19 (after the virus was identified the Chinese government blocked travel from Wuhan to the rest of China but intentionally allowed Wuhan residents to travel internationally)
- Blatantly and falsely accuse the victim of their virus of creating the virus (the Chinese government claimed that the U.S. military had created and unleashed the virus on China)
China has changed capitalism more than capitalism has changed China
Some assumed promoting economic freedom would promote political reform and make China more capitalistic and democratic. However, it appears that China has changed capitalism more than capitalism has changed China. We have inadvertently shifted our manufacturing capacity to China. We have made ourselves slavishly dependent on low-paid Chinese labor and we are complicit in the abuse of that labor. We have sold out our own middle class workers.
We have sent trillions of trade-imbalance dollars to a country that uses our wealth to militarize against us. We have overspent and mortgaged our future to China by selling them our debt. We have allowed our military technology to be stolen. Some of our most advanced technologies and industries are now more actively operating and looking to expand in China. Even our own NBA has been “kowtowing” to China.
We are in an unhealthy and dangerous relationship with China
Uncle Sam has become an enabler of an abusive Asian mistress. For decades, we have wished and hoped the relationship would improve and have suspended our good judgment and common sense.
For too long, we indulged wishful thinking and prioritized low prices over our own people and security. Like Esau, we have sold our inheritance for a mess of pottage. Hopefully, we know differently now.
Since 1980, the United States has granted “Most Favored Nation” trading status to China on the condition that they improve their record on human rights as well as play fair regarding international commerce. There has been no improvement, likely just the opposite. If doing the same thing over and over again and expecting a different result is insanity, then America is in desperate need of a psychiatrist.
Simply stated, America’s relationship with China must change. Like a dependent drug addict, we can’t go cold turkey. But we must get on a treatment regimen that reprioritizes our physical and economic health, our security, and our future. We must gradually and steadily divest from China. We must recognize the ruthless nature of communism and that the communist China is no more our friend than Soviet Russia was.
