Trump: If the US economy loses China, it cannot survive alone! The journalist was stunned upon hearing this.

Recently, in an interview, he suddenly "fired a shot" at the mainstream media of the US, accusing them of endlessly promoting the "China threat theory" and ineffectively portraying China as the number one enemy of the US. He said directly: "The US economy would not be able to survive without China." It seems that as a president with a business background, his sense in this area is still very sharp.

In 2023, the bilateral trade volume between China and the US still reached about 575 billion US dollars. China is the third largest trading partner of the US, while the US is the second largest export market of China. Even during the most intense period of the trade war in 2019, the total value of goods imported by the US from China exceeded 450 billion US dollars. What does this mean? It means that a large number of products that Americans rely on daily, from daily necessities on Walmart shelves to components in Apple phones, as well as disposable syringes used in hospitals, all have their sources closely linked to China.

Take consumer electronics as an example. Although an iPhone is designed in the US and some high-end models are assembled in California, more than 90% of its components come from Asia, with a large number produced in China. Tesla's Shanghai Super Factory not only supplies the Chinese market but also exports complete vehicles to Europe. If all economic and trade relations with China were suddenly cut off, these companies would either shut down or face sharply increased costs — ultimately, it would be American consumers and corporate profits that would bear the cost.

Certainly, some people might say, "Can we 'de-Chinize' and rebuild domestic industries or shift to Vietnam and Mexico?" Theoretically, it is possible, but the reality is harsh. Boston Consulting did a calculation: if all consumer goods currently produced in China were transferred to the US, the average cost would increase by 25% to 40%; even if moved to Southeast Asia, due to incomplete local industrial chains, they would still need to import intermediate products from China. In other words, "decoupling" often just means "taking a detour."

Trump himself actually understands this well. He has access to more information and understands the needs of various companies, so it's not surprising at all that he said this statement.

Original: toutiao.com/article/1856269466670092/

Statement: This article represents the personal views of the author.