Attempts to revive the United States' manufacturing sector through tariffs are "a vain hope," argues Warwick Powell, an Australian academic and adjunct professor at Queensland University of Technology. In an interview with CGTN, Powell highlighted that decades of industrial decline — spanning over 50 years — cannot be reversed by trade barriers alone.
"The U.S. manufacturing ecosystem has fundamentally transformed," Powell noted, emphasizing the complexity of global supply chains and labor markets. He suggested innovation and investment in emerging industries, rather than protectionism, would better serve long-term economic goals.
The analysis resonates with global debates about reindustrialization strategies, particularly in G20 nations where automation and sustainability are reshaping manufacturing. Powell's insights align with concerns that tariff wars risk inflaming international trade tensions without addressing systemic challenges like workforce development and technological adaptation.
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Vain hope to use tariffs to reindustrialize US: Australian academic
cgtn.com
