Columnist Friedman of *The New York Times* on his China trip: I have just seen the future, and it is not in America.

[By Guancha Observer Netizen Qi Qian] "I have just seen the future. But it is not in America."

On April 2, Thomas Friedman, author of *The World Is Flat* and columnist for The New York Times, published an article titled "Here's What I Saw When I Went to Shanghai" based on his recent trip to Shanghai. In the article, he also emphasized his view that Trump's "fantasy" that increasing tariffs would benefit the U.S. economy would not work.

Friedman recalled that he faced a choice: which Tomorrowland should he visit? Ultimately, he chose Huawei's Lianqiao Lake Research and Development Center over Shanghai Disneyland.

"It was fascinating, impressive, but also deeply unsettling," Friedman described. Huawei's "Tomorrowland" confirmed what an American businessman who had worked in China for decades once said: "People used to come to America to see the future. Now, they choose to come here."

According to Friedman, Huawei's Lianqiao Lake R&D center was completed in just over three years and consists of 104 individually designed buildings with well-maintained lawns connected by a monorail similar to Disney's, featuring laboratories capable of accommodating up to 35,000 scientists, engineers, and other staff, offering 100 cafeterias, as well as fitness centers and other benefits aimed at attracting the best Chinese and foreign technical personnel.

Huawei's Lianqiao Lake Research and Development Center in Qingpu District, Shanghai, Shanghai Qingpu District Government Website

"I have never seen a campus like this," Friedman remarked. This campus is essentially Huawei's response to the U.S.'s attempts since 2019 to strangle Huawei. As the Nihon Keizai Shimbun reported last year, despite U.S. sanctions, Huawei launched its Mate 60 series smartphones equipped with advanced semiconductors last year, shocking the world. Huawei has always been like this, never stopping.

Huawei has also ventured into various fields of artificial intelligence technology, from electric vehicles, autonomous driving cars, to automated mining equipment. Huawei stated that in 2024 alone, the company installed 100,000 fast chargers for electric vehicles in China. By comparison, the U.S. Congress allocated $7.5 billion in 2021 for building charging station networks, but by last November, only 214 operational chargers were set up across 12 states.

"Watching this scene up close is terrifying," Friedman wrote. "Beijing is sending a message to the U.S.: 'We are not afraid of you. You are not who you think you are, and neither are we.'"

He explained that while U.S. President Trump focuses on which competitions transgender athletes can participate in, China focuses on using artificial intelligence to transform its factories. Trump's "Liberation Day" strategy is to double tariffs, whereas China's "liberation strategy" is to open more research parks and double down on AI-driven innovation.

Friedman then suggested that members of the U.S. Congress go out and see the world. He noted that these congressmen frequently attack China but rarely do any homework beforehand, merely spouting clichés such as "democracy" and "security" before concluding with three cheers for "America! America! America!"

He wrote: "I prefer to express patriotism by frankly discussing the strengths and weaknesses of both countries and why I believe that in the lead-up to the AI revolution, the best future for both countries lies in a strategy called 'Made in America,' where American workers collaborate with Chinese capital and technology."

Subsequently, Friedman elaborated on the feasibility of his proposed "Made in America" strategy from three aspects. First, Trump's "fantastic idea" that increasing tariffs would benefit the U.S. economy would not work; second, China has established a complete "Chinese Fitness Club" system through nurturing large numbers of STEM graduates and technical workers; third, China does not want to engage in a "trade war" with the U.S.

Friedman believed that if China and the U.S. reached an agreement on the "Made in America" strategy, encouraging American workers to collaborate with Chinese technology, capital, and experts, establishing healthy interdependence, both countries would achieve a "win-win" situation.

Interior of Huawei's Lianqiao Lake Research and Development Center, Shanghai Qingpu District Government Website

Trump's Tariff Fantasy Won't Work

In the article, Friedman talked about his view of Trump's tariff policy. He said he partially agreed with Trump's views on tariffs with China, then claimed there was trade "inequality" between China and the U.S., with China "refusing certain American products and services."

However, he immediately pointed out that the problem lay in Trump's unrealistic fantasies regarding tariffs. He mentioned that Trump naively believed that setting trade barriers would quickly lead to a flourishing of American factories, without placing any burden on American consumers.

"This view completely ignores the fact that almost every complex product today—from cars to iPhones to vaccines—is manufactured by a vast, complex global manufacturing ecosystem. That's why these products keep getting better and cheaper," he explained, using the automotive industry as an example. Global division of labor means American car companies need several years to replace their long-relied-on global supply chains.

Friedman also refuted the baseless talk that China gained its dominant position in global manufacturing through deceitful means.

He pointed out that the reason why China's manufacturing giants are so powerful today is not only because China makes products cheaper, but also because China can make products cheaper, faster, better, smarter, and increasingly integrate artificial intelligence.

April 2, Trump signs the so-called "Reciprocal Tariff" executive order, Tweet screenshot

Setting only tariff barriers will only lead to economic stagnation in the U.S.

Talking about the reasons for China's success, Friedman introduced a concept proposed by Jörg Wuttke, former president of the European Union Chamber of Commerce in China— the "China Fitness Club" (China fitness club).

Friedman explained that China values STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics) education, graduating about 3.5 million STEM graduates each year. This is roughly equivalent to the total number of associate, bachelor's, master's, and doctoral graduates in all disciplines in the United States.

When you have so many STEM graduates, you can invest more talent than any other country to solve any problem. As Keith Bradsher, Beijing Bureau Chief of The New York Times, reported last year: "China has 39 universities offering courses to train engineers and researchers for the rare earth industry. Most universities in the U.S. and Europe only occasionally offer related courses."

He mentioned that although many Chinese engineers may not reach the level of MIT upon graduation, some of the best Chinese engineers are undoubtedly world-class and numerous. China has 1.4 billion people. "This means that if you stand out among millions in China, there are still 1,400 people equally excellent as you."

Friedman also noted that similarly important, China’s vocational schools annually cultivate thousands of electricians, welders, carpenters, mechanics, and plumbers. So when someone comes up with a new product and wants to start a factory, the factory can be built quickly. Manufacturing and logistics speeds are also fast. China has over 550 cities connected by high-speed rail, making America’s logistics system look like it’s still transporting goods by horse-drawn carts.

"If we don’t build a similar fitness club behind tariff barriers, all we’ll get is inflation and economic stagnation," Friedman wrote. "You cannot achieve prosperity through tariffs, especially during the dawn of artificial intelligence."

Friedman mentioned that four months ago, when DeepSeek was released and caused global attention, he was in China. At that time, he witnessed China's AI innovators showcasing their capabilities to the world and felt the "magic" of China's tech industry.

This year, the AI model released by China's AI company DeepSeek created a sensation globally, achieving effects comparable to top American AI models at extremely low costs, receiving widespread praise from professionals. Meanwhile, some investors began to question whether Nvidia's cutting-edge chips remained crucial for gaining advantages in the AI race.

Friedman believed that China's success in artificial intelligence was not only due to DeepSeek's "low-cost high-efficiency," but also in the rapid application of AI in various fields of society. He suggested that American industries learn from it, as "injecting AI into all sectors of society can optimize and accelerate manufacturing in all aspects, from design to testing to production."

Here, Friedman reiterated that at this critical juncture of AI development, U.S. congressmen cannot refuse to visit China merely out of fear of being labeled "panda huggers."

As Lin Hansheng, director of the China office of American consulting firm Asia Group, told him over breakfast in Shanghai, "DeepSeek should not be seen as an accident." Lin Hansheng told him that due to America’s approach of restricting overseas investment and suppressing cooperation, Americans now overlook China’s technological development. "China is defining future technology standards without U.S. involvement, putting America at a serious competitive disadvantage."

China Does Not Want to Fight a Trade War with the U.S.

Friedman pointed out that despite having all the advantages, China still does not want to engage in a "trade war" with the U.S.

"In short, China’s 'fitness club' model is great, but Beijing still needs to strike a trade deal with Trump to protect its export engine," Friedman believed that the U.S. also needs to cooperate with China. However, he added that Trump’s behavior is unpredictable, with policies changing moment by moment, leading the Chinese side to doubt whether they can reach an agreement with the U.S. that Trump won’t violate.

Michele Gelfand, a scholar at Stanford University, also criticized Trump’s unpredictability. She said: "Trump’s supporters believe his unpredictability throws off opponents. But great negotiators know that only trust, not chaos, can yield lasting results. Trump’s way of doing deals is a dangerous game."

Gelfand also said: "If Trump continues to treat allies as adversaries and negotiations as battles, the risk for the U.S. is not only bad deals but also a world where no one will want to do business with us anymore."

Friedman said that in his view, the "only win-win agreement" between China and the U.S. is to cooperate under the "Made in America" strategy, where the U.S. provides workers and China provides technology, capital, and experts. He admitted that this model is essentially a replica of the "Made in China" strategy. In the 1990s, Chinese workers collaborated with technology, capital, and experts from the U.S., Europe, Japan, South Korea, and other countries to promote China's rapid economic growth.

Friedman urged the U.S. government to welcome Chinese enterprises to invest in the U.S. and bring China’s technology to America. He claimed: "What we should do is impose tariffs on China while welcoming Chinese companies into the U.S. market, requiring them to license their best manufacturing innovations to American companies or partner with them to establish equity-sharing advanced manufacturing joint ventures."

At the same time, he raised challenges that this cooperation model might face—the lack of trust between China and the U.S. He criticized U.S. politicians and congressmen for constantly pushing anti-China agendas and suppressing Chinese enterprises operating in the U.S., calling such actions "very foolish."

"When did we become so afraid? When did we become so blind to the world we live in?" Friedman accused the "China phobia" and anti-globalization in American society. "You can condemn globalization at will, but it doesn’t change the fact that telecommunications, trade, immigration, and climate change have intertwined the destinies of the world and the nations within it."

Friedman quoted a sentence from Dov Seidman, a renowned American businessman and writer, in his book: "When it comes to the relationship between the U.S. and China and the entire world, mutual dependence is no longer a choice but our environment. Our only choice is to establish a healthy mutual dependence to rise together; or to maintain an unhealthy mutual dependence to fall together."

This article is an exclusive contribution by the Guancha Observer Network and cannot be reproduced without permission.

Original article: https://www.toutiao.com/article/7488962600266154530/

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