中美贸易合作与竞争对美国制造业和普通人生活的影响

The Impact of Sino-US trade cooperation and competition on American manufacturing and everyday citizens

Abstract

本文分析了中国经济增长对美国制造业的影响。写于 2021 年夏天

Summary: This piece describes how Sino-US trade relations and a growing economic interdependency have affected the US 
manufacturing industry and the lives of everyday citizens. A general introduction to the development of Sino-US trade relations is 
followed with a brief discussion on some of the mutual co-benefits of trade cooperation as well as the potential consequences of 
economic competition and its accompanying high tariffs. There are many reasons for the growing economic tensions between the US and China. However, rather than simply attributing this growing economic competition to the domestic political and cultural 
environment or language barriers between the two countries, this piece argues that such tensions stem from the growing Sino-US 
trade deficit, severely impacting the US manufacturing industry and its accompanying job market. In order to revive the U.S. economy and increase U.S. manufacturing jobs, but also to curb China’s development and the strengthening of China’s hard power, the U.S. government has imposed increasingly higher tariffs on Chinese-made products. To further protect and advance its own global economic position, China has taken a similar position in its own institution of tariffs on U.S. manufactured goods. This economic competition, however, has only hurt the lives of everyday citizens. Looking ahead, we don't know yet whether the U.S.-China economic relationship will improve or deteriorate further. It will be interesting to follow the future development of these global superpowers and see if China and the United States can finally put the greater interests of the world and everyday people over their own national ambitions.
Author’s Note: This piece was written in the summer of 2021 and does not account for major changes in trade relations due to the 
pandemic. Although the ongoing pandemic is sure to impact the state of Sino-US trade relations, I believe much of which is argued 
in this piece can still be relevant today.