Gordon Chang on China's Trade Practices and Agricultural Warfare

US-China Trade Negotiations and Tariffs

• 🎯 President Trump announced that Chinese President Xi Jinping agreed to resume exports of rare earth minerals and magnets to the US.
• 💬 This agreement follows a two-hour phone call aimed at resolving recent trade tensions, with Trump describing the deal as complex but beneficial.
• ⚖️ Peter Navarro emphasizes that the US seeks fairness and is addressing global trade barriers, not just a China-specific problem.
• 📈 Gordon Chang agrees that the US needs reciprocity in trade, as the previous open-door policy has not benefited Americans.

China's Economic Weakness and Export Challenges

• 📉 Chang asserts that the US holds a stronger hand due to China's failing economy, which is in a deflationary spiral and experiencing internal unrest.
• 🌍 China cannot export its way out of its economic problems because its primary export markets, like the US, are imposing tariffs.
• 🚫 Other global markets are not large enough to absorb the surge of Chinese exports that cannot be sold to the US.
• 🛡️ Tariffs imposed by the US inspire other nations to protect their own economies from Chinese goods, preventing decimation of local industries.

Skepticism Towards Future Agreements

• ❓ Chang has low expectations for the upcoming trade talks, anticipating only meaningless comments from both sides.
• 📜 He points to China's violation of the May 12th agreement, specifically their failure to remove non-tariff barriers and the ban on rare earth exports.
• ⚠️ Chang believes China has a long track record of violating agreements, making compliance with any new deal unlikely.

Agricultural Warfare and Invasive Species

• 🦠 A recent incident involved Chinese nationals accused of smuggling agrotourism fungus into the US, which Chang describes as a weapon of mass destruction.
• 📦 This is seen as part of a year-long effort, including unsolicited seed shipments from China in 2020 and via the online retailer Teimu, aimed at planting invasive species and attacking US agriculture.
• ⚠️ Chang stresses the need to treat this as a serious attack on the United States, comparing it to the realization that fentanyl was an attack on American youth.
• ⚔️ He argues that such actions are a form of warfare, distinct from traditional military conflict, and highlight the ongoing nature of attacks on the US.