IS AMERICA FOR SALE? China’s Plan To Replace the United States as a Superpower

In the 1950s, the Cold War was raging.  Nikita Khrushchev was the leader of the Communist Soviet Union.  It seemed a nuclear confrontation was imminent.  Mr. Khrushchev met with Western ambassadors at the embassy in Poland.  His angry speech was directed at the United States and our allies.  Taking off his shoe, he pounded it on the table and said, “About the capitalist states, it doesn't depend on you whether or not we exist. If you don't like us, don't accept our invitations, and don't invite us to come to see you. Whether you like it or not, history is on our side. We will bury you!" The speech prompted the envoys from twelve NATO nations and Israel to leave the room.

Only a few years ago, the world seemed a more peaceful place and American power and stability was a given—even after 9/11. But now the Cold War has been replaced with a slow boiling conflict that may be even more dangerous than the threat we lived under in the 1950s, 60s, and 70s.  Mutually Assured Destruction at least kept the peace. For years there were only two nuclear powers:  the U.S. and the Soviet Union. Now the proliferation of nuclear weapons, the threat of terrorism, and the actions of rogue nations like Iran and North Korea have drastically changed the threat environment. While today Russia, North Korea, and Iran are certainly our adversaries, most geo-political experts believe the chief threat to the United States is the People’s Republic of China (PRC).  It is a multi-faceted threat that involves the military, trade and the economy, human rights, and international law. At times it seems that China is pounding a shoe on the table and proclaiming not “We will bury you,” but rather “We will buy you.”

We are so dependent on China, even if they misbehave (which they do), we have very limited effective reactions. At least, we have few options we are willing to take. How can you take a stand against a nation-state that is the source of most of your imports and carries a substantial portion of your national debt?  How can you practically sanction a country for human rights abuses or violating another nation’s sovereignty when you depend on them for medicine, medical supplies, and the vast majority of practical necessities Americans use every day?

China believes that they can lecture us on human rights even as they persecute and imprison millions of people simply because of their religious beliefs or ethnicity.  They can point out the weaknesses of our democratic republic as they violate the rights of their own people with an all-powerful communist regime that allows no dissent. They can tout their honesty and integrity as they steal billions in intellectual property and undermine U.S. companies.  In fact:  The Chinese Communists believe they can control U.S. foreign policy, dictate the rules of commerce and trade, send thousands of students to covertly influence U.S. universities, purchase multiple U.S. companies, and buy up real estate in America.  And we are allowing it to happen.

The  list of China’s geo-political transgressions is long.  Here are only a few of the many actions that should concern every American.  Some of them sound rather unbelievable, but they are very real.

• China continues to threaten Taiwan and there is a good possibility that the communists will invade the island democracy.  But China also literally threatens the United States of America if we intervene.  They are also so bold as to attempt to dictate U.S. policy:  China demands that we stop selling defensive weapons and military equipment to Taiwan.  They correct U.S. officials if they refer to Taiwan as a “nation” and try to edit U.S. letters and documents if it does not align with official Chinese policy. When Nancy Pelosi’s upcoming trip to Taiwan was announced, China actually “warned” the Speaker of the House and ordered her to cancel the trip.  China wants to dictate where the third- most-powerful political leader in the U.S. can and cannot travel.

• News recently broke that a Chinese company purchased over 300 acres of land that is 12 miles from Grand Forks U.S. Air Force Base.  This military base is a highly sensitive installation that is involved with satellite communications for the U.S. military worldwide and is home to some of the most sensitive military drone technology.  When three U.S. Senators asked this pending purchase to be investigated by the Treasury Department and the Department of Defense, China was indignant.  Liu Pengyu, a spokesman for the Chinese Embassy in Washington, D.C., said, “The Chinese government encourages Chinese enterprises to conduct overseas investment and cooperation on the basis of local laws.”  When multiple U.S. officials expressed concern that a Chinese company near the base might provide cover for surveillance or interference with the sensitive mission at the base and would have serious national security implications, here was the Chinese Embassy’s reply: “China always opposes the U.S. generalization of the concept of national security and abuse of state power.”

• President Biden now wants to reverse the Trump Administration’s tariffs on Chinese products.  These tariffs are in place to protect U.S. businesses and workers, give the U.S. leverage over China’s illegal trade practices and human rights abuses, and address our crippling trade deficit with China.  There is no legitimate reason to eliminate these tariffs other than to give in to Chinese complaints about the tariffs and allow China to further dictate U.S. policy. Meanwhile, our own federal government estimates that Chinese intellectual property theft and the counterfeit and pirated products cost the U.S. economy $300 to $600 billion a year.  In 2020, over $1 billion of fake products from China were intercepted at the U.S. southern border.  Why is our President insisting on lifting these tariffs?

• The Biden Administration is pushing full speed ahead on eliminating fossil fuels and going green in America.  But the technologies and equipment that are the foundation of climate change policies are dependent on Chinese forced labor in what amounts to concentration camps in the communist nation. Biden wants 50% of all cars in the U.S. to be electric by 2030.  China, at the 19th National Congress of the Communist Party, pledged to dominate the electric vehicle market, supplying the batteries and electric equipment for automobiles worldwide.  China also controls the solar power industry and bought mines in the U.S. and around the world to produce the lithium, nickel, and other minerals required in the production of batteries and other “climate-friendly” products.

• Green vehicles and solar panels, along with the majority of everyday products every American purchases at big box stores across the country, are made in China and come at prices far cheaper than products made in the U.S.  China’s forced labor policies make this possible.  But U.S. corporations and consumers ignore the moral implications of items made with slave labor in China.  The bottom line is more important than human rights and moral principles for the corporations.  For the consumer, taking care of our families and feeding our children trump the horrible way the products are produced.  We are addicts. We have a nationwide addiction to China.

America should not be for sale.  But China is buying property, companies, and influence.  What they cannot buy—they steal.  It is the most serious threat we face.  It has short and long-term consequences.  It impacts national security and the lives of everyday U.S. citizens.  China’s President Xi and the Communist Party there have been clear:  They intend to replace the United States as the world’s only superpower and become the world’s largest economy.  It is their goal to replace the United States on the global stage.  It is a daunting, multi-faceted threat for the United States.  We must insist that our President and our political leaders acknowledge the threat, take it seriously, and begin taking actions to counter it.

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