U.S.-China rivalry

China’s rise shows prosperity without Western liberalism, growth from state–market fusion, and tech modernity without alignment—proof modernity is plural.

Huawei vs. GE: Long-Term Innovation Over Short-Term Profits

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Huawei’s founder, Ren Zhengfei, adopted a markedly different approach from Jack Welch’s strategy of financialization and downsizing. While Welch emphasized short-term shareholder gains and cost-cutting—even at the expense of manufacturing and employees—Ren focused on long-term industrial growth, technological capability, and self-reliance. In contrast to Welch’s approach, Huawei’s strategies actively strengthened China’s industrial base and fostered … Read more

Reviving America’s Mixed Economy: Lessons from U.S. and China

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In American Amnesia: How the War on Government Led Us to Forget What Made America Prosper (2016), Jacob Hacker and Paul Pierson argue that beginning in the late 1970s, the United States experienced a powerful ideological shift. Conservative movements and corporate interests championed “market fundamentalism”—the belief that government intervention inevitably stifles growth and freedom. This … Read more

Cultural Roots Behind China’s Divergence from the Soviet Path

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In America’s Cold War Against China: Destined to Fail (2025), Peter Nolan argues that the West’s failure to recognize the profound historical and cultural differences between China and Russia—treating China merely as a “Soviet copy”—resulted in serious strategic miscalculations[1]. He contends that China’s rise should not be viewed as an anomaly within the modern international … Read more

Cycles of U.S. Foreign Policy: Allies Becoming Future Rivals

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The U.S. often supports a nation to act as a balance against a perceived threat. As time passes, that nation may grow in economic, military, and political power. Consequently, the assistance meant to protect U.S. interests can end up creating a future rival. Geography and Strategic Inexperience The United States has historically benefited from a … Read more

Why Western Strategy Pivoted from Russia to China in the 1990s

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During the 1990s, Western attention gradually moved from Russia to China. This wasn’t a sudden change, but a slow realignment shaped by the Cold War’s end, the forces of globalization, and the growing recognition that China’s rise would have a much greater global impact than Russia’s waning influence. Immediate Post-Cold War Context The collapse of … Read more

China’s 3G Standard: Catalyst for Global 4G and 5G Leadership

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China’s first homegrown third-generation (3G) wireless telecom standard, TD-SCDMA (Time Division-Synchronous Code Division Multiple Access), marked a strategic shift in the country’s telecommunications landscape. Prior to TD-SCDMA, China relied on foreign standards such as WCDMA from Europe and CDMA2000 from the United States. By developing its own 3G standard, China gained greater control over key … Read more

China’s 3G Standard: A Milestone in Indigenous Innovation

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TD-SCDMA (Time Division–Synchronous Code Division Multiple Access) was China’s domestically developed 3G mobile communication standard, created in the early 2000s as part of a national effort to strengthen technological self-reliance and reduce dependence on foreign firms such as Qualcomm, Nokia, and Ericsson. Though it never achieved global dominance, TD-SCDMA represented a pivotal experiment in China’s … Read more

Why Reshoring American Manufacturing Remains Unfeasible

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In the manufacturing sector, labor costs are only one aspect of competitiveness, and their relative importance varies across different industries. What truly determines manufacturing strength is the overall landed cost, which depends on a combination of factors such as workforce quality, infrastructure— including power supply and transportation— and the availability of upstream and downstream industrial … Read more

China’s Rise: From Wartime Struggle to Tech Innovation Power

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This essay traces China’s remarkable journey from wartime struggle to technological leadership, exploring the interplay of individual brilliance, patriotic commitment, and systemic innovation. It highlights the pioneering contributions of scientists such as Deng Jiaxian, and Tsien Hsue-shen, examines the evolution of China’s state-driven innovation model, and contrasts it with Western approaches shaped by market-driven priorities. … Read more

America’s Lost Industrial Labs and the Challenge of Innovation

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Over the 20th century, the United States led the world in technological innovation, driven in large part by industrial research laboratories such as Bell Labs, Xerox PARC, and IBM Research. These institutions combined long-term vision, interdisciplinary collaboration, and stable funding to produce breakthroughs that transformed industries and everyday life. Today, however, the landscape of innovation … Read more