Opinion – We’d Better Get Our Act Together
07/01/2021
I just read, recently, a hard-hitting article revealing a multitude of activities and events pointing out the espionage and intellectual theft that China has been undertaking for many years now. This has been happening in full view of business, academia and government with little to no reporting to the public of the scope and scale of this massive theft. Sure, people have been aware of China’s aggression toward the free world and numerous reports in various media about human rights abuses as well as its status as the holder of a large amount of our sovereign debt, its exploitation of labor, religious persecution, environmental degradation, and military aggression toward its neighbors, especially Taiwan. China has been in full scale offense for decades as it seeks to be THE Superpower in the world.
What gets reported is just the tip of the iceberg. Ever since President Richard Nixon set foot in China in February 1972, China has opened up enough to the world to assemble a behemoth seeking to dominate world commerce, politics, and human activity. President Nixon’s objectives and goals at the time would no doubt be considered a worthy cause. The Soviet Union was seemingly at its peak of power and domination. The need to drive a wedge between China and the Soviets was a key political objective and helped set the stage for the ultimate destruction and dissolution of the Soviet state in the late 1980s.
Now, however, it is clear that the wide open rush of manufacturing and other industries to China to obtain cheaper labor, hence, lower priced goods back to American consumers, has put the United States and other countries largely at the mercy of the Chinese Communist Party.
The battle rages on. It is by no means a losing proposition for the United States, yet it is not one to be taken lightly or pushed to the sidelines or the back burner while less important things occupying our government’s and our citizen’s time take precedence.
I recently listened to Gregg Doud, Ag Representative for the Office of the United States Trade Representative in the Trump Administration, speak to an audience at the Farm Futures Business Summit in Coralville, Iowa. He gave an insightful speech about his experiences negotiating the agriculture section of the Phase I Trade Agreement with China, concluded in early 2020.
There is no doubt that China has ambitions to dominate world affairs. And that China has been on a decades-long quest, engaging in espionage, subterfuge and outright extortion across many industries, including agriculture, seeking to obtain the technology and the physical assets to attain its goals.
Mr. Doud’s comments were sobering, yet very enlightening about their “at the table” and “boots on the ground” experiences he and his team of negotiators, analysts and support staff encountered with their Chinese counterparts.
My assessment of his comments and experiences is that the Chinese acknowledge that they must ensure their citizens are able to be adequately fed, or risk uprisings of a magnitude they may not be able to control. They are a Communist dictatorship trying to run a capitalist economy. This can only be described as crony capitalism, gaming the system with centralized control.
It will remain and continue to be a battle of wills and determination. So many variables enter into the thinking and decision – making about our relationships with China and there are no easy answers.
The bottom line is that the Chinese people are hungry and must be fed. I expect the average Chinese citizen yearns for much of the same thing American citizens do. We must engage with the Chinese government forcefully and with a strong degree of determination. Trust, but verify.
The Chinese can continue to be a major trading partner for America and the rest of the world. However, America and others must seriously revamp their business relationships to reduce, limit, eliminate and/or revise our dependency on the Chinese for critical products across our economic spectrum. America can never allow itself to be “held economically hostage” by any country.
Lastly, individually and in our farms and businesses we must be proactive and intentional about positioning our financial status and profile to withstand shocks to the system, such as pandemics, trade wars, turmoil and strife of any kind, those of external origin or of our own personal making. So many things out of our control can undo anything we may do to protect our financial status. We must do what we can, however, to minimize disruptions.
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This article is the personal opinion and perspective of the author and may or may not be consistent with those of other ASAC Members. ASAC as an organization does not advocate positions on issues.
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Pete Weisenberger
Weisenberger Agricultural Services, LLC
pete.weis0956@gmail.com
I just read, recently, a hard-hitting article revealing a multitude of activities and events pointing out the espionage and intellectual theft that China has been undertaking for many years now. This has been happening in full view of business, academia and government with little to no reporting to the public of the scope and scale of this massive theft. Sure, people have been aware of China’s aggression toward the free world and numerous reports in various media about human rights abuses as well as its status as the holder of a large amount of our sovereign debt, its exploitation of labor, religious persecution, environmental degradation, and military aggression toward its neighbors, especially Taiwan. China has been in full scale offense for decades as it seeks to be THE Superpower in the world.
What gets reported is just the tip of the iceberg. Ever since President Richard Nixon set foot in China in February 1972, China has opened up enough to the world to assemble a behemoth seeking to dominate world commerce, politics, and human activity. President Nixon’s objectives and goals at the time would no doubt be considered a worthy cause. The Soviet Union was seemingly at its peak of power and domination. The need to drive a wedge between China and the Soviets was a key political objective and helped set the stage for the ultimate destruction and dissolution of the Soviet state in the late 1980s.
Now, however, it is clear that the wide open rush of manufacturing and other industries to China to obtain cheaper labor, hence, lower priced goods back to American consumers, has put the United States and other countries largely at the mercy of the Chinese Communist Party.
The battle rages on. It is by no means a losing proposition for the United States, yet it is not one to be taken lightly or pushed to the sidelines or the back burner while less important things occupying our government’s and our citizen’s time take precedence.
I recently listened to Gregg Doud, Ag Representative for the Office of the United States Trade Representative in the Trump Administration, speak to an audience at the Farm Futures Business Summit in Coralville, Iowa. He gave an insightful speech about his experiences negotiating the agriculture section of the Phase I Trade Agreement with China, concluded in early 2020.
There is no doubt that China has ambitions to dominate world affairs. And that China has been on a decades-long quest, engaging in espionage, subterfuge and outright extortion across many industries, including agriculture, seeking to obtain the technology and the physical assets to attain its goals.
Mr. Doud’s comments were sobering, yet very enlightening about their “at the table” and “boots on the ground” experiences he and his team of negotiators, analysts and support staff encountered with their Chinese counterparts.
My assessment of his comments and experiences is that the Chinese acknowledge that they must ensure their citizens are able to be adequately fed, or risk uprisings of a magnitude they may not be able to control. They are a Communist dictatorship trying to run a capitalist economy. This can only be described as crony capitalism, gaming the system with centralized control.
It will remain and continue to be a battle of wills and determination. So many variables enter into the thinking and decision – making about our relationships with China and there are no easy answers.
The bottom line is that the Chinese people are hungry and must be fed. I expect the average Chinese citizen yearns for much of the same thing American citizens do. We must engage with the Chinese government forcefully and with a strong degree of determination. Trust, but verify.
The Chinese can continue to be a major trading partner for America and the rest of the world. However, America and others must seriously revamp their business relationships to reduce, limit, eliminate and/or revise our dependency on the Chinese for critical products across our economic spectrum. America can never allow itself to be “held economically hostage” by any country.
Lastly, individually and in our farms and businesses we must be proactive and intentional about positioning our financial status and profile to withstand shocks to the system, such as pandemics, trade wars, turmoil and strife of any kind, those of external origin or of our own personal making. So many things out of our control can undo anything we may do to protect our financial status. We must do what we can, however, to minimize disruptions.
= = = = =
This article is the personal opinion and perspective of the author and may or may not be consistent with those of other ASAC Members. ASAC as an organization does not advocate positions on issues.
= = = = =
Pete Weisenberger
Weisenberger Agricultural Services, LLC
pete.weis0956@gmail.com
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