Home Categories About
argument top image
What are the views on the US - China trade war? What are the views on the US - China trade war?
The trade war is illegitimate The trade war is illegitimate
The trade war is legitimate The trade war is legitimate
The trade war is good for the United States The trade war is good for the United States
The trade war is bad for the United States The trade war is bad for the United States
The trade war is good for China The trade war is good for China
The trade war is bad for China The trade war is bad for China
The trade war is bad for the world The trade war is bad for the world
The trade war is good for the world The trade war is good for the world
The trade war is an inappropriate way to deal with China’s unfair trading practices The trade war is an inappropriate way to deal with China’s unfair trading practices
The trade war secures American interests legitimately The trade war secures American interests legitimately
U.S. businesses will thrive U.S. businesses will thrive
The U.S. will win The U.S. will win
China can cause more damage to the United States China can cause more damage to the United States
The tariffs harm the United States The tariffs harm the United States
China is more likely to win the trade war China is more likely to win the trade war
The trade war is an incentive for market expansion The trade war is an incentive for market expansion
Rising prices damage consumers and the economy Rising prices damage consumers and the economy
Increasing tariffs on Chinese goods harm key exports Increasing tariffs on Chinese goods harm key exports
The trade war undermines global economic institutions The trade war undermines global economic institutions
The trade war causes economic harm to other countries The trade war causes economic harm to other countries
The trade war improves China's economic practices The trade war improves China's economic practices
Debate Mini Map

What are the views on the US - China trade war?
Back to question

The trade war is good for the world

< (8 of 8)

The trade war improves China's economic practices

China engages in unfair economic practices. The trade war serves as a deterrent because it hurts the Chinese economy. China will want to change its practices to stop the current harm and prevent future harm to their economy.
James D. Schultz
< (1 of 1)

Context

The rise of the Chinese economy has fueled fears of unfair competitive practices that threaten businesses abroad; this is the premise of President Trump’s rhetoric behind the trade war. By punishing these practices, the United States hopes to force China to abandon them.

The Argument

China engages in unfair economic practices. These practices sit on a spectrum; it’s helpful to disambiguate between the three types:[1] Actions which are generally considered illegal; these include the outright theft of intellectual property, as with Chinese military officers hacking into American firms in 2014.[1] Actions that are considered unfair, if not strictly illegal, such as demanding that foreign firms gift technology in exchange for market access, or historically artificially devaluing its currency.[1] Actions which represent intense forms of (legal) competition. The U.S. hopes to dissuade China from engaging in unfair practices. Waging the trade war against China will squeeze Chinese firms, hurting their profit line. In turn, this has political ramifications for the Chinese government. Consequently, China will be deterred from engaging in unfair practices in the future, stepping in line with established international norms of commerce. Fair competition from China is better for the world. It allows overseas businesses access to Chinese markets on better terms and prevents them from being unfairly out-competed on the global stage.

Counter arguments

This argument makes two key assumptions. The first is that Chinese firms will be significantly hurt by the trade war. This is not true if China wins the trade war. Suppose for the sake of argument that Chinese firms will be significantly hurt by the trade war, forcing a conciliatory stance with the United States. Even if that is true, the second assumption is that China will improve its economic practices more broadly. This may not be the case. At best, China might negotiate a deal with the U.S. to treat U.S. firms fairly. Other nations lack the leverage to conduct the same punitive trade war with China.

Proponents

Premises

[P1] The trade war with China will hurt the Chinese economy. [P2] To stop and prevent the Chinese economy from being hurt, China will roll back its unfair economic practices. [P3] China rolling back its unfair economic practices is good for the world.

Rejecting the premises

[Rejecting P1] The damage to the Chinese economy may not be sufficient; this depends on the outcome of the trade war. [Rejecting P2] China may respond to the trade war by rolling back unfair economic practices against the United States, but not more generally.

References

  1. https://www.economist.com/leaders/2017/09/23/how-china-is-battling-ever-more-intensely-in-world-markets
This page was last edited on Friday, 19 Jun 2020 at 01:19 UTC