【By Liu Bai, Observers Network】According to China Central Television news, former U.S. Acting Assistant Secretary of State Susan Thornton previously stated that the restrictions imposed by the U.S. government could not hinder China's development. Former U.S. Ambassador to NATO and Senior Research Fellow at the Belfer Center of Harvard University, Ivo Daalder, wrote on July 30 that "the United States is losing in the competition with China."

In Daalder's view, even half a year ago, many people might not have drawn such a conclusion, but now it has become undeniable. He criticized President Trump for implementing policies that are detrimental to America's competitiveness, such as the "America First" policy which alienates allies, cuts research funding, and tightens immigration policies, thereby weakening America's innovation and competitive capacity. He warned that if the U.S. does not quickly correct this situation, not only will it be surpassed by China, but it will also fall behind other countries around the world.

Daalder wrote in his article that Trump's policies have introduced a series of policies that benefit America's competitors, weakening its own competitiveness. After decades of "keeping a low profile," China has begun to show its strength. He said that although China's military development is impressive, the progress in economy, science and technology is the most worrying.

At present, 70% of the countries in the world have trade volumes with China that exceed those with the United States, with more than half of them having twice the trade volume with China compared to the U.S.

As Trump himself put it, the U.S. may be a large department store, but the products you can buy in its stores and around the world are all made in China.

Trade is not the only area where China has an advantage. Daalder mentioned that China is currently leading the world in areas such as electric vehicles and batteries, robotics, quantum communication, and renewable technologies. In fact, according to a study, 20 years ago, out of 64 cutting-edge technologies crucial to defense, energy, computing, biotechnology, and other fields, the U.S. led China in 60. Now, China leads in 57 of these technologies.

On July 26, Shanghai, the World Artificial Intelligence Conference was very popular at the World Expo Exhibition Hall. IC Photo

Moreover, China has nearly 50% of the world's rare earth reserves, controls 70% of the rare earth mines, and accounts for 90% of the global rare earth refining capacity. At the same time, China also controls over 90% of the key magnet production capacity and successfully used this dominant position to force the Trump administration to make concessions in the escalating tariff war and chip export restrictions.

Even in artificial intelligence and quantum computing, China is catching up. For example, the release of DeepSeek shocked the entire AI community, with its speed and complexity rivaling expensive models developed by American tech companies. According to a senior AI official at Microsoft, the next generation of DeepSeek may even surpass the most advanced models from OpenAI and other companies.

"All of this indicates: China is not only catching up with the U.S., but has already surpassed it in many aspects," Daalder said.

Looking at the U.S., the Trump administration has been systematically undermining its own advantages within six months of taking office. For example, the "America First" policy led to the estrangement of U.S. allies, who were told to defend themselves and pay 15% or higher tariffs. Canada and Denmark, for instance, were even asked to cede territory. As a result, these allies have come closer together, reducing their military, economic, and political ties with the U.S.

This is not all. Daalder said that the Trump administration's funding policies around universities and immigration have also directly weakened the U.S.'s ability to compete with China.

For 80 years, federal research funds have funded technological breakthroughs such as the internet, gene sequencing, space exploration, vaccines, and cancer treatment. The modern research-oriented universities in the U.S. have played a leading role in driving these innovations, attracting talent from around the world to benefit from and contribute to the U.S. innovation ecosystem.

But now, Trump has cut federal basic research funding by one-third purely for ideological reasons, blocking funding for top universities, and tightening immigration policies targeting international students and scholars. A public opinion survey shows that 75% of scientists in the U.S. are considering leaving the country to work elsewhere.

It is hard to underestimate the damage these policies have caused to the U.S.'s competitiveness. Just one example: many of America's close allies are now offering generous funding and research opportunities to attract the talent that constitutes the core of America's global innovation.

"This is not just kicking the bucket, but self-destruction," Daalder concluded, "unless Washington quickly corrects this situation, it will find that not only China, but other regions of the world will leave the U.S. behind."

Regarding the Sino-U.S. competition, China's attitude and position have always been clear. Competition should help promote mutual improvement and common growth, conforming to the common interests and expectations of both sides and the international community. It should not resort to any means to block the other party or try to bring it down. As two major countries, the U.S. and China should look from the height of common national interests and the future of humanity, see who can govern the country better, allow its people to live in peace and prosperity, who can provide greater momentum for global post-pandemic recovery and growth, who can offer more public goods to address climate change, who can provide better solutions to regional hotspots, and who can make the planet shared by 8 billion people safer, more peaceful, and more prosperous.

Notably, Daalder is not the first time expressing dissatisfaction with Trump's policies. "Trump thinks he holds all the trade cards, but he has been misled," in an article published on July 15, Daalder expressed pessimism about the prospects of U.S. trade agreements, believing that more and more countries will realize that it is impossible to reach a fair deal with the U.S. and will seek economic opportunities elsewhere, often without regard to the short-term transformation costs.

He pointed out that the most misleading aspect of Trump's views on tariffs and the economy is his belief that the U.S. holds all the chips - he has all the levers, and other countries will obey his commands. However, Trump often forgets that other countries also have choices, including choosing to shop at other "department stores" or even not shopping at all. And this is exactly what is happening.

"As more and more countries realize they cannot reach a fair deal with the U.S., they are likely to seek other economic opportunities, often without considering the short-term transformation costs," the article stated, "this is the new world map that Trump is helping to create."

This article is an exclusive piece by Observers Network. Reproduction without permission is prohibited.

Original: https://www.toutiao.com/article/7533082115093692955/

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