The U.S. Chamber of Commerce says the American and Chinese economies are so deeply interconnected that they could be weaponized against each other in a market of 1.4 billion people. But there is still time to take back the United States’ control over its economy while simultaneously working with China.
- While many people advocate for reducing dependence on Chinese goods through “decoupling,” “recoupling” in some areas can help the U.S. accumulate leverage to force China to change its behavior in the long term, explained Zack Cooper, senior fellow for foreign and defense policy at the American Enterprise Institute.
- Cooper said the strategy would involve increasing China’s reliance on goods from the U.S., such as certain microchips, that are necessary for its economy.
- He said implementation would require the Treasury Department, the Commerce Department, the U.S. Trade Representative, the White House and Congress along with key foreign partners.