Proving China’s hegemonic ambitions

SINCE his departure from the White House as chief strategist, Steve Bannon has been giving interviews on various television channels and programs and has appeared to be a rising TV guru on foreign policy, especially United States-China relations. No, he is not spilling the beans on President Donald Trump. He is explaining Trump’s strategic decisions, and he does so quite effectively. Better than his boss Trump. He does not so engage in superlatives and hyperbole and outright lies that even the truth seems like lies. Bannon, sounding at times like a university professor, simply lets the facts and arguments speak for themselves.

In an episode I saw, Bannon sheds light on the trade war that Trump has launched against China. Previous US administrations called attention to China’s unfair trade practices e.g. enormous and growing trade deficits. theft of intellectual property and forced transfer of technology but did little more than complain and protest. It took Trump to take concrete steps to compel China to come to the negotiating table. At the heart of these steps is the perception that it is the US that has brought the spectacular rise of China to its own disadvantage.