More than 25 years ago, President Bill Clinton promised that increased trade with China would benefit the United States and turn the communist country into one that embraced capitalism. Since that promise, it seems evident that America has received the bad end of the bargain — millions of jobs shipped overseas, opioid addictions, weakened power on the world stage — while China has reaped the rewards.
The latest sign of American decline comes courtesy of Ford Motor Company. Ford will soon begin importing the Lincoln Nautilus SUV from China. As flagged by Breitbart News, this marks the first time ever that Ford will be manufacturing a car in China for U.S. import.
According to Bloomberg News, the SUVs will be an electric-gasoline hybrid powertrain. A Ford executive said that making the SUVs in China was the most practical decision. Previously, these vehicles were manufactured and imported from Canada — still not the U.S., but also not America’s top challenger on the world stage.
“We’re already building Nautilus in China,” Lincoln President Dianne Craig said in mid-April. “It just made sense to centralize our Nautilus production.”
In reaction, Michael Stumom the CEO of the Coalition for a Prosperous America, called for higher auto tariffs on America’s number one political adversary.
“25% tariffs on China built autos not enough,” he tweeted.
25% tariffs on China built autos not enough. https://t.co/kR5AHOpLdf
— Michael Stumo (@michael_stumo) April 19, 2023
Those tariffs were put in place by the Trump administration. President Joe Biden, for his part, has repeatedly punted on whether or not to lower the prices, while showing de facto support for the tough-on-China policies introduced by his predecessor. That change marks a sharp difference from previous U.S. policy — which viewed China as a friend.
Consider that in 1997, Clinton told the American people, that “The emergence of a China as a power that is stable, open, and non-aggressive, that embraces free markets, political pluralism, and the rule of law, that works with us to build a secure international order — that kind of China, rather than a China turned inward and confrontational, is deeply in the interests of the American people.”
Does it seem like that has happened over the past two decades? Is America better off and is China less emboldened since 1997? If you’re gullible enough to believe that is the case — and welcome the latest auto industry changes — then maybe you will get a free Chinese spy balloon with your new Lincoln Nautilus next year.
The views expressed in this piece are the author’s own and do not necessarily represent those of The Daily Wire.