China-U.S. Relations: The Cold War 2.0
Yesterday after work, I went to a store I often visit to buy work clothes. A few years ago, everything there—clothes, shoes, accessories—was made in China. But last night, I noticed something surprising: now, everything is made in Asia, but not China. Items were from Vietnam, India, Cambodia, Indonesia, Laos, and other Southeast and South Asian countries. There wasn’t a single item from mainland China.
This change shows a bigger trend I’ve talked about before: the U.S. is treating China like it once treated the Soviet Union. In areas like trade, economy, technology, military, and ideology, the U.S. is competing with, limiting, and trying to slow down China’s rise.
Moving supply chains away from China is the first step in decoupling. The COVID-19 pandemic made this happen faster, as U.S. politicians and businesses agreed to separate from China to limit its growth.
From the news I read and the discussions I hear, it’s clear that the U.S. is pushing harder for this decoupling. It’s not just acting alone; it’s also encouraging its allies to do the same.
This shift has been building for over a decade. That’s why we saw Trump’s tough policies on China and now Biden’s frequent restrictions. Both follow the same plan to challenge China.
In the near future, it will get harder for Chinese students to study advanced tech in the U.S., for Chinese companies to do business there, or for skilled workers to move to the U.S. It feels like the relationship is going back to how it was before the two countries established ties.
The U.S. and China are already forming separate groups of allies, openly competing with each other. This isn’t just about political disagreements—it’s the new reality.
From my talks with experts in China, I see that some still think this is about personalities like Trump. But it’s not. Whether it’s Trump, Biden, or anyone else, this path is set. We’re in the middle of a major global shift.