President Bill Clinton claimed, more than 25 years ago, that the United States would profit from expanded commerce with China, leading to China’s transition from communism to capitalism.
Since then, it’s become clear that China has garnered the benefits while the United States has borne the costs (millions of lost jobs, rising opioid addiction, diminished global influence).
Ford Motor Company is responsible for the latest indication of America’s deterioration. Lincoln Nautilus SUVs manufactured in China will soon be available for import via Ford. Ford is producing cars in China for the first time to sell in the United States.
The SUVs will reportedly have a hybrid electric-gasoline drivetrain, according to reports. An official from Ford said that producing the SUVs in the People’s Republic of China (PRC) was the most sensible option. Previously, they were made and imported from Canada, which is still not the United States but is also not America’s main competitor internationally.
Lincoln President Dianne Craig said in mid-April that they were already producing Nautilus in the PRC and that the decision to consolidate Nautilus manufacturing was logical.
Coalition for a Prosperous America CEO Michael Stumom responded by advocating for increased car tariffs against the United States’ most significant political enemy.
He tweeted, “25% tariffs on China-built automobiles not enough.”
The Trump administration imposed such tariffs. Meanwhile, President Joe Biden has repeatedly sidestepped the question of whether or not to lower prices, giving his tacit approval to his predecessor’s tough stance toward China. Since the United States’ previous policy viewed China as a friend, this shift is dramatic.
Considering what Clinton said to the American people in 1997, that the rise of China as a power that is non-aggressive, open, and stable, one that embraces political pluralism, the rule of law, and free markets, that works with us to build a secure international order — that kind of China, rather than an isolated and aggressive China and, is in the best interests of America.
Is China that?
