The U.S. ban on Chinese exports is a swing and miss

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.

The White House placed dozens of Chinese entities on an export restrictions list. Those companies will no longer receive specific goods from U.S. entities unless the federal government approves such a request. You and I know that any American company making such a plea will immediately be told no.

In making this move, the United States has once again demonstrated that it is desperate to rein in China's development. And the familiar option selected by the White House will only serve to create further economic uncertainty and validate how out of touch the president of the United States is.  

One company has again felt Washington's wrath. The Inspur Group, China's leading cloud computing provider, which itself was placed on the banned list in 2023, learned that six of its subsidiaries would also be denied access to certain U.S. products. According to the White House, those subsidiaries assisted the Chinese military in developing supercomputers.

The premise behind this banning "strategy" is that dozens of Chinese business entities across multiple industries must not be allowed to get their hands on certain high-end technologies. Washington claims that with such handcuffs in place, China's ability to, among other things, enhance its high-performance computing power, create the most cutting-edge quantum technologies and expand its hypersonic weapons program will be limited.

All of that sounds plausible, except that one expert has correctly noted that the plan will ultimately fail because Chinese companies partner with third-party entities that sell what China wants.

In short, the restrictions list card equates to a swing and a miss.

Combined with the reality that tariffs also do not do what they are supposed to do, an important question needs to be asked: Why does the U.S. continue to use weak strategies in an effort to hamper China? Common sense says if a policy is not working, then it ought to be done away with. Moreover, common sense also says that engaging in such activities cripples America's argument that it supports and champions free trade.

The Vanderbilt Journal of Entertainment and Technology Law summed up this hypocrisy, stating that the "U.S. government's failure to adhere to the rules that it was instrumental in crafting sets a particularly troubling precedent. These trade distortions reduce trust and respect among countries…"

In effect, the U.S. is intentionally sabotaging the high ground on which it claims to stand when it comes to free and robust trade because it is convinced that China is devious and deceitful. There are many nations that would like to remind the U.S. of its devious and deceitful ways.

Throughout the 20th century, U.S. actions undermined the legitimate development aspirations of countries near and far. Multiple Latin American nations can attest that America's claim to "exceptionalism" was little more than a smokescreen to damage the region.

Colonized regions all across the globe can speak to the damage done by America's (and Europe's) poaching of minerals and resources. And according to one U.S. scholar, the U.S. sought to gum up another country's elections at least 80 times between 1946 and 2000.

These facts will not receive the airing they should in the U.S., where the nonstop negative narrative about China dominates the chatter from the political class and the reporting by the media elite. Moreover, fear sells, so providing audiences with a daily barrage of accusations against Beijing is a guaranteed headline and ratings winner.

Is it possible that a different motivation is behind the president's actions? For Donald Trump, the answer might be that he wants America in charge; it will tell the world what to do, when to do it and how to do it. Decades ago, when the U.S. could dictate to countries big and small, a "We are in charge here" message echoed loudly. America was the bully.

Those days are gone. In trying to bring them back, Trump (and many others) are willing to engage in protectionism. But protectionism has a dubious history. One scholar after another has pointed out that the U.S. tried it almost 100 years ago and the result was a stock market collapse and the Great Depression.

Four decades ago, the U.S. reined in the rapid ascent of the Japanese economy; a legitimate argument can be made that Japan has still not recovered. The historical record makes it clear that if the U.S. damages global trade, harsh effects will follow. China knows this, and it will not allow its developmental dreams to be dented by an aggressive America.

Washington would be wise to remember that while it is quite good at talking the talk about free trade, it often cannot walk the walk. The global community will not be fooled by rhetorical blasts from a president who seems to lack a coherent strategy to do what he insists he wants to do – make America great again. Economic protectionism will not lead to that.

(If you want to contribute and have specific expertise, please contact us at opinions@cgtn.com. Follow @thouse_opinions on X, formerly Twitter, to discover the latest commentaries in the CGTN Opinion Section.)