[DonaldC]

As long as our industry has shop in China, we aren’t going to war with them.

[jimwatx]

That means nothing, we would just seize China’s US Treasury holdings like we seized Russian assets to make up for any losses.

[Zhang Fei]

As long as our industry has shop in China, we aren’t going to war with them.

Russia was Ukraine's biggest trading partner when they went to war. Germany was one of the US's biggest trading partners when WWII started. Japan was another.

Norman Angell argued before WWI that trade had made war impossible between the Great Powers. He will likely always be wrong. As long as territorial gain remains a way for political leaders to gain long-lasting personal fame and glory, war will continue to be a part of human existence.

Value of Imports from Ten Chief Suppliers First Eight Months, 1929 and 1930

Country and rank in 1930	1929		1930		Per cent decline in value
	(Value in thousands of dollars)
1. Canada	335,874	11.2	279,012	12.8	-16.9
2. Japan	270,872	9.0	178,461	8.2	-34.1
3. United Kingdom	223,498	7.4	148,460	6.8	-33.6
4. Germany	171,557	5.7	122,775	5.7	-28.4
5. British Malaya	171,115	5.7	109,354	5.0	-36.1
6. Brazil	142,121	4.7	87,840	4.1	-38.1
7. China	121,141	4.0	80,978	3.7	-33 1
8. Cuba	155,402	5.2	79,728	3.7	-48.7
9. British India	108,869	3.6	78,720	3.6	-27.7
10. France	109,295	3.6	75,744	3.5	30.7
Other countries	1,198,910	39.9	933,766	43.9	-22.1
Totals	3,008,714	100.0	2,174,838	100.0	27.7

 

Value of Exports to Ten Chief Markets First Eight Months, 1929 and 1930

	1929		1930		Per cent change in value
	(Value in thousands of dollars)
1. Canada	659,071	19.3	480,505	18.2	-27.1
2. United Kingdom.	517,435	15.2	433,311	16.4	-16.2
3. Germany	231,375	6.8	169,967	6.4	-26.5
4. France	155,471	4.6	138,980	5.3	-10.6
5. Japan	153,110	4.5	113,340	4.3	26.0
6. Argentina	145,944	4.8	92,185	3.5	-36.8
7. Soviet Russia	47,373	1.4	86,845	3.3	+83.3
8. Mexico	83,788	2.4	82,744	3.1	-1.2
9. Cuba	88,226	2.6	69,057	2.6	-21.7
10. Italy	94,523	2.8	67,196	2.5	-28.9
Other countries	1,230,197	36.1	907,016	34.4	-26.3
Total	3,406,513	100.0	2,641,146	100.0	-22.5

[laplata]

“As long as our industry has shop in China, we aren’t going to war with them”.

I agree. In many ways the Chinese have us over a barrel, and they know it.

80% or more of our medicine is manufactured in China and India. We are totally reliant on them for most of our critical medicine, including antibiotics. It is inexcusable.