Is the US Still Reliable?

  Is the US Still Reliable?

China Times Editorial (Taipei, Taiwan)

December 27, 2017

 Translation of an Excerpt

In the first US national security strategy report of the Trump administration, Trump's personal concept of "America first" came out distinct; another important facet of "America first" is trade war. The national security strategy report accuses China of economic aggression toward the United States, including the acquisition of intellectual property rights and advanced technology through unfair means. Ever since Trump was campaigning, he has endlessly emphasized that in trade, the US must win maximum benefits as the axis of this policy, and guided the dissatisfaction with life on the part of many Americans to hatred of China. Trump has no feeling for the long-standing leadership role and duties of the United States, but is obsessed with galvanizing and consolidating his electoral support. The national security strategy report’s attitude toward China has become hardened; partly it is inevitable as a result of the competition between the two superpowers in the changing situation in the Asia-Pacific region, and partly Trump has calculations to stabilize his electoral support through a trade war.

The bigger question is that although the United States and China are rivals, they also need to cooperate with each other in many arenas. In the trade arena, US-China cooperation provides the US with many business opportunities and job opportunities; it cannot be judged simply as China taking advantage of the United States. In the political arena, the US needs China’s assistance even more in the North Korea question; this should be an extremely pressing crisis of the United States. Now Trump considers China as a rival, how could he prod China to help out? This national security strategy report falls short of the world’s expectations toward the United States; conversely, it has caused the world new misgivings vis-à-vis possible tensions and frictions in the future. When the US focuses more and more on its own problems, should other countries continue to rely on the United States?

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