Wang Wen
China is no longer waiting to see whether Washington will decouple. It is moving first ‒ and fast. While U.S. strategists still debate whether China is being isolated, Beijing has already been quietly reshaping its economic and technological foundations.
What began a decade ago as talk of “de-Americanization” has become a steady, data-backed shift toward self-reliance and global diversification.
This is not a Cold War replay or an attempt to cut ties. Instead, it reflects a broader effort by China to redefine its path of development and reduce exposure to U.S. pressure. The results are most visible in five key areas, starting with trade.
1. Trade: From Dependence to Diversification
China’s trade rebalancing is more pragmatic than political. Facing tariffs and protectionism from Washington, Beijing has built new trade routes through Asia, Europe and the Global South.
In 2018, the United States made up 19.3 percent of China’s total foreign trade. By the first eight months of 2025, that share had fallen to 9.2 percent ‒ even as China’s total trade expanded 45 percent. The numbers tell the story: China is trading more, just not as much with the U.S.
Imports and exports of specific goods are also shifting. Once, 85 percent of China’s soybeans came from the United States; today, 68 percent come from Brazil, with U.S. imports down to 22 percent. Exports of high-tech goods to the U.S. have dropped to 28 percent of China’s overall exports, while sales of high-end equipment to Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership (RCEP) countries ‒ a trade bloc spanning Asia and the Pacific ‒ jumped to 41 percent.
Beijing isn’t cutting itself off from the U.S. market so much as ensuring it no longer depends on it. Call it China’s version of “de-risking.”
2. Science and Technology: From Follower to Contender
No comments:
Post a Comment