> China turned a slow drip into a death spiral. While many countries pushed the boundaries before China did, its economic size and the effectiveness of its merc

> China turned a slow drip into a death spiral. While many countries pushed the boundaries before China did, its economic size and the effectiveness of its mercantilist policies broke the pre-existing order. Through currency management, public procurement, state subsidies, protectionism, and other implicit subsidies, China has developed a range of leading industries, including electric vehicles, solar power, and batteries. China's rise can be attributed to taking advantage of the neoliberal order. Many of their nationalistic successes come through things like currency manipulation, hiding illegal subsidies, intellectual property theft, and using state monopolies to bully other nations and their corporations. It's a prisoner's dilemma. If everyone copies China's playbook, there is nothing left to take advantage of. We will all be poorer for it. It cannot be understated that we are getting front row seats to the end of Pax Americana. In a world where countries can no longer enjoy reliable trade for commodities, we are going to revert to a world of imperialist land grabs and violence.