The irony here is that China itself is engaged in decoupling economically from the West and is charting a course domestically of a more state centered economy, which given Xi's consolidation of power, may issue eventually into a fully articulated command economy, following Stalin's precedent of abandoning NEP in 1929-30 in favor of a planned economy and full scale nationalization. What will happen to foreign investment then? It will be left high and dry. Scholarship is truly historically shortsighted as well as unprincipled.
Philip, I agree on the pitfalls of the mercantilistic approach. My question (to you) is: politically engage or engage not Xi? Despite his absolutism and the rest of it? Washington's hawks say no. It means take on Russia and China at the same time. Doable? Wise? The alternative is to deal - negotiate - with the dictator. Red line: de facto status quo for Taiwan. Can we?
The irony here is that China itself is engaged in decoupling economically from the West and is charting a course domestically of a more state centered economy, which given Xi's consolidation of power, may issue eventually into a fully articulated command economy, following Stalin's precedent of abandoning NEP in 1929-30 in favor of a planned economy and full scale nationalization. What will happen to foreign investment then? It will be left high and dry. Scholarship is truly historically shortsighted as well as unprincipled.
Philip, I agree on the pitfalls of the mercantilistic approach. My question (to you) is: politically engage or engage not Xi? Despite his absolutism and the rest of it? Washington's hawks say no. It means take on Russia and China at the same time. Doable? Wise? The alternative is to deal - negotiate - with the dictator. Red line: de facto status quo for Taiwan. Can we?