Translated "Avante!" article by Luís Carapinha, Member of the International Department
Trump’s visit to China, within the purview of his Asian tour, and concluded this week, brought back attentions on the relations between the two world largest economies. Such an overwhelming and multidimensional as contradictory and antagonist relation.
The internal dynamic, within the China/USA complex binomial, indicates, quite a lot on the general understanding of the global forces relation, along a line of growing divergence, which proves that, in the end, Marx’s story old mole old, is still alive, even though its underground action outcome, is not immediate.
The USA is the greatest Chinese export destiny and it is with China that Washington registers its hugest trade deficit. In the whole Chinese surplus, the share of high technology commodities has grown, a result of the USA’s de-industrialization process and the implacable progression of imperialist stagnation.
When China begun its path, gradually but not velvety /smooth, on the Reform and Opening, on the late 70’s, the great capital discovered, a manna in the horizon. The dollar exchange rate was adjusted, to better promote the capital, investments and productive displacement stream. It was not about but the irredeemable perspective of over-values huge results, but above all, of profiting from the Chinese opening unto external investment, in order to consume the so-called strategic objective of “pacific evolution”, the China’s capitalist restoration. The euphoria and illusion of perpetual hegemony (the story ending) reached the peak with the USSR’s dissolution.
The dominant current feeling is otherwise. A USA Congress report, from 2016, says “that there is hope that China keeps faithful to its “pacific development” path(…), which did not occur. The purpose of China to change its economic order, geopolitics and security, in order to accommodate its interests, is a motive of the greatest concern”. And in another passage, one underlines that it became “evident (…) the China home reform agenda has as an objective to reinforce the state command and keep control on the CCP – and not the promotion of economic liberalization”.
In fact, Beijing not but achieved to grow amid the global value chain, as proved to be capable of managing the “productive chains” ( centralized by the transnational corporations ) territorial segmentation, strengthening the integral productive circuits along with the industrialization development and cutting-edge technologies. And has forthcoming announced , the launching of the petro Yuan ( and a greater opening of the financial sector, to be followed attentively).
The alarms ring bells. General Dunford, the EUA Army Forces High-Commander-in-Chief, has recently stated that China ought to represent “the greatest menace, round 2025 “ for the USA, and Ross, the Commerce secretary of state, adverts that the Beijing plan “Made in China 2025”, is an attack against the “American genius”. Among the home establishment troubled waters, Trump vituperates the “unjust trade”, and attacks by holding the “American first” sword. Globalization seems to be loosing its shine, but the USA does not abdicate from China’s contention insane purposes, currently together with the Indo-Pacific strategy, seeking to line up with Japan, India and Australia, amid an aggressive agenda that threatens world’s peace.