Daniel Moss, Columnist

China's Strengths in a Trade Spat Are Also Its Weaknesses

The nation has had a precious run of political unity, relative peace and economic expansion. Why risk that?

April 9, 2018 at 9:00 PM UTC

Daniel Moss is a Bloomberg Opinion columnist covering Asian economies. Previously, he was executive editor for economics at Bloomberg News.

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For the first time since the Opium Wars of the 19 century, China's borders and territory are unchallenged. No conflict frays the country's edges. This stability has allowed for rapid industrialization, foreign investment and the rise of an urban Chinese middle class. Why would China jeopardize this in a trade spat with the U.S.?

Hard-won political unity created the conditions in China for the reforms of the Deng Xiaoping era and the country's huge economic success. Those gains, in turn, make China confident and strengthen its hand in talks with the Trump administration that will ultimately come.