The Need for a Transatlantic China Strategy

Thomas L. Friedman, Op-Ed-columnist at The New York Times, discusses the US’s and Europe’s relationship with China at the invitation of Atlantik-Brücke. Friedman advocates for a transatlantic strategy. According to Friedman, until recently, American companies turned a blind eye to Chinese misbehavior because both sides were benefitting. However, this has changed.

Friedman argues that negotiating successfully with a country of China’s scale and economic power is only possible by using leverage, something Trump failed to do. Instead of building a united front with Europe, Trump made negotiations with China a bilateral affair.

While China and especially the renminbi might be considered stable today, this could change, since China is more closed off than it was in recent years, which is unlikely to make them thrive in an ever-more connected world.