When two characters in Samuel Beckett’s Waiting for Godot wait endlessly for a sign, they mirror the US trade war with the Chinese mainland. Washington stakes out tariffs, Wall Street braces for impact, but a real breakthrough never appears.
At its core, this standoff stems from a flawed diagnosis: equating a trade deficit to wrongdoing rather than seeing it as a byproduct of a dollar-centric financial system. The US dollar’s reserve status virtually ensures chronic deficits, while offshoring reflects corporate profit strategies, not foreign foul play.
Moreover, intellectual property clashes and strategic decoupling under successive administrations point to a wider debate: who writes the rules in a multipolar tech world? That framing casts the Chinese mainland’s industrial rise as abnormal, prompting tit-for-tat measures instead of creative collaboration.
To move forward, the global community needs fresh dialogue: shifting focus from blame games to systemic reforms. Could digital currencies, revamped trade norms or new multilateral tech pacts ease tensions? For young global citizens, the opportunity lies in redefining fair trade for the digital age.
Like Beckett’s duo, simply waiting won’t bring Godot. Real change comes when we rewrite the script of international commerce.
Reference(s):
cgtn.com
