This paper discusses the ongoing trade war between China and the US, the economic and political dynamics which led to this confrontation, and the respective positions of the two countries.
This paper discusses the ongoing trade war between China and the US, the economic and political dynamics which led to this confrontation, and the respective positions of the two countries. It makes the case that economic tension between the two countries is unlikely to be resolved any time soon. Furthermore, if left unresolved current tensions have the potential to balloon into a full-scale economic war with global implications. This is because the economic confrontation between the world’s two largest economies is not an issue of agency but of structure, in the sense that trends in global politics and economic relations are driving the two countries towards a conflict regardless of who is in power. This current trend has the potential to determine whether the 21st century will be another American century or one dominated by China’s vision for the future.
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