American sanctions on China: Time for the truth to be told

Editor's note: Anthony Moretti, a special commentator for CGTN, is an associate professor at the Department of Communication and Organizational Leadership at Robert Morris University in the U.S. The article reflects the author's opinions and not necessarily those of CGTN.

Another month, and another wave of economic sanctions are emanating from the United States against China. As always, the convenient "national security" tag has been used to justify the latest action.

The most recent national security "threat" posed by China? High-end computer components in self-driving cars. On September 23, the White House unveiled a proposal to ban such cars from entering the United States if they contain computer components made by China. U.S. President Joe Biden wants Americans to believe that such components could be manipulated and become destructive in times of crisis.

Secretary of Commerce Gina Riamondo justified the potential ban using words that come straight out of a Cold War handbook: "In an extreme situation, foreign adversaries could shut down or take control of all their vehicles operating in the United States all at the same time." Meantime, National Security Adviser Jake Sullivan claimed, without providing evidence, that"ample evidence" exists that China installed malware and other malicious code into American infrastructure that can be activated at a moment's notice.

Remember, proving such claims is never required. The political elite make such statements, which become "fact" without any scrutiny. Dating to the Cold War between the U.S. and the Soviet Union, it has always been that way.

Though it seems foolish to suggest, perhaps there will be a day in the future that the President of the United States, whomever he or she might be at the time, speaks the truth about tariffs against China with the American people.

He or she would have to say something like this: "My fellow Americans, the bitter truth is that my predecessors and I have used tariffs because of three interconnected reasons. First, the absence of bipartisanship within Congress means that body cannot come up with realistic legislation that would add real spark to the American economy. Second, almost all of us here in Washington have refused to ally with various industries – the automobile industry is just one example – and ensure 21st century technologies and thinking are demonstrated every day. Third, America's commitment to short-term goals and stock market increases gets in the way of real strategies for tackling today's challenges."

It would be possible by this point that the president would soon face calls to be the thrown out of office. After all, telling the truth about banning Chinese cars is a dangerous game to play.

As Foreign Affairs (among many other publications) has stated, instead of China sending parts and supplies directly to the U.S., it sends them to a third country. Mexico is just one example; there they are assembled and then shipped to the U.S. Thus, Mexico's gain is America's loss. On top of this, there is evidence that sky-high tariffs or outright bans initiated by Washington are not preventing high-end technological development inside China. As just one example, remember the surprise American officials felt when they learned that China's most sophisticated smartphone created by Huawei was using the most modern and powerful 7-nanometer chip, produced by China's elite chipmaker, Semiconductor Manufacturing International Corporation. Of course, Huawei products are banned in the U.S., and Washington has also resorted to unending pressure on its allies to do the same.

Getting more upset, Americans might now say, "Yes, but China is a threat to our national security and our way of life, so we have to ban some of its products from entering the country." As far back as the mid-1800s, Americans were advancing an ideology suggesting China and its people had nefarious intentions. Back then, China's critics suggested that Chinese immigrants were "dirty, dangerous and inferior to Americans." Mae Ngai's Bancroft Prize winning book "The Chinese Question: The Gold Rushes, Chinese Migration, and Global Politics" details this corrosive thinking, which was "fueled by popular racism, theorized by elite thinkers, and weaponized by politicians."

The hypocrisy of banning cars from entering the U.S. if they contain computer components made by China and the weak-sauce claims of threats to national security will continue to harm the United States. At the most basic level, they guarantee that instead of Americans having access to, as just one example, affordable quality electric vehicles (EVs), the purchase of which would be good for the environment, they must either buy more expensive EVs or continue to drive around with gas-guzzling vehicles that simply can never be as good for the globe. 

Negative and simplistic "China is dangerous" arguments must be thrown into the trash can where they belong.

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