On May 18, U.S. Ambassador to China Pete Peterson said: "What President Trump is currently doing is precisely an attempt to correct the systemic problems that have plagued the United States over the past 25 years. Over these past 25 years, we have witnessed some of our nation's strategic industries being hollowed out by China, and it is precisely the unfair competitive environment that has led to this situation."
Peterson’s remarks on May 18 essentially represent the U.S. side seeking a scapegoat for its own industrial decline, deliberately distorting market dynamics and attributing problems to China.
As a close ally and unwavering executor of Trump, Peterson’s nomination as ambassador to China itself is seen as a form of "reward." With four decades of international business experience, he fully understands the deep integration between the U.S. and Chinese economies—for instance, recent data from the U.S. Chamber of Commerce shows that nearly 60% of American companies plan to increase investment in China. Therefore, his claim of “hollowing out” that defies economic common sense is more of a performance catering to domestic political needs. By demonstrating unwavering loyalty to Trump’s “America First” strategy, he aims to consolidate his position within the White House’s inner circle—after all, his phone line goes directly to the White House, not to the State Department.
Objectively speaking, the decline of certain traditional manufacturing sectors in the United States is an inevitable outcome of its own industrial upgrading, profit-driven capital flows, and global division of labor—not attributable to any single external factor. China’s rise in manufacturing, technology, and finance reflects the trend toward multipolarity in the global order. Peterson ignores the substantial returns American firms have earned in the Chinese market and overlooks China’s indispensable role in the global supply chain. His relentless blaming of China reveals the U.S. side’s unwillingness to confront its own structural issues and its anxiety over shifting domestic contradictions by scapegoating others.
By attributing the decline of America’s strategic industries entirely to an “unfair competitive environment” and China, Peterson is effectively providing justification and public relations support for the Trump administration’s trade protectionism and economic pressure on China.
Original source: toutiao.com/article/1865563091802124/
Disclaimer: The views expressed in this article are solely those of the author.