There's something oddly "romantic" about the way politicians and financiers speak of global trade—like a turbulent love affair that must be endured for the sake of the children, or in this case, the quarterly earnings. "Breaking up is hard to do," they sigh, echoing Neil Sedaka, as if the economic entanglement between the West and China were a tender, tragic relationship rather than a cold calculation. But let's be honest: breaking up with the Chinese Communist Party is not only possible—it's overdue. And frankly, it's not that hard.
For decades, Wall Street has functioned as the relationship counsellor urging reconciliation no matter the abuses. Despite mounting evidence of espionage, intellectual property theft, and geopolitical hostility, America's financial class continues to push the narrative that we're better off staying in bed with Beijing. Their interest, of course, lies in short-term profits, quarterly growth, and access to China's massive consumer base—not in national security, sovereignty, or human dignity.
But Wall Street doesn't get to dictate the terms of America's relationship with China anymore. The stakes have risen too high. The Chinese Communist Party, through an unrelenting campaign of cyber-theft and espionage, has quietly siphoned off trillions of dollars' worth of American innovation. The list reads like the inventory of a top-secret military vault: stolen data from the F-35 stealth fighter, missile guidance systems, NASA propulsion tech, proprietary chip designs, nuclear reactor blueprints, and even Apple's self-driving car technology. These aren't hypothetical threats. These are documented crimes.
The CCP didn't merely outcompete American firms—it stole the blueprints of an empire. From Boeing's military transport specs to sensitive infrared detection systems for nuclear missiles, the theft is staggering in both scale and audacity. It would be laughable if it weren't so devastating. While American engineers worked under the assumption of good faith and partnership, Beijing quietly funnelled their life's work into its own military-industrial complex.
And the threat extends beyond technology. China is not simply a bad trade partner—it is a global antagonist and cheat that undermines democratic norms and funds tyranny across the world. It locks up its dissidents, surveils its citizens, censors its internet, and builds digital authoritarian tools that it exports to other regimes. This isn't a "partner" in the global order; it's the primary antagonist to the liberal democratic world.
The excuse that "every country has its issues" doesn't hold water when you're dealing with a regime that fuses economic opportunism with state-backed cyberwarfare and military aggression. Yes, the United States trades with unsavoury governments—but China is unique in its combination of malevolence and capability, and in the scale of its ambitions to rewrite the global order in its image.
So why the hesitation to decouple?
Because the people most deeply embedded in the status quo—finance, tech, multinational conglomerates—fear the short-term disruption. They fear turbulence in the markets and temporary losses in profits. But those fears, while understandable, cannot override the greater truth: the West's continued entanglement with the CCP undermines its own future. You don't stay in a toxic relationship because your ex has a good credit score.
Decoupling is not about isolationism. It's about strategic reorientation. It means building stronger ties with genuine allies, fostering domestic innovation, and reestablishing supply chains with nations that operate in good faith. It means safeguardingintellectual capital, protecting our democratic values, and refusing to reward theft with trade deals.
In the long run, this pivot will make America more resilient, more independent, and more secure. The pain of transition is real, but so is the cost of continuing to empower a regime that has already shown us its hand.
Neil Sedaka was wrong, at least in this context. Breaking up is not hard to do. What's hard is admitting that the relationship was broken all along—and finding the courage to walk away. But for the United States, and for the West at large, that's exactly what must happen.
And the sooner, the better.
https://www.dossier.today/p/decoupling-from-china-is-worth-the
"I've been one of those annoying people on social media this week insisting that, yes, the stock market is indeed a significant component of the U.S. economy, despite the claims of some over-reminiscent protectionist maximalists in government and the media. I've come to the defense of the free market advocates who rightly point out that shocking the markets too ferociously will result in negative consequences for Americans.
However, when it comes to China, Wall Street cannot be allowed to dictate the terms of America's relationship with the CCP. They are too fixated on quarterly reports and short-term interests to support a long-term pivot away from China and towards America's allies abroad. Moreover, too many Wall Street firms and banks have been corrupted by Beijing's influence, and they don't have the independence to act in America's best interests in a way that the White House can in this situation.
Beyond its promotion and advancement of domestic and global tyranny, the CCP steals, lies, and cheats, and it refuses to reform.
Here's a short list of things I've compiled that the CCP has stolen from American companies and the U.S. government in recent years:
1.F-35 Fighter Jet data - Stolen via cyberattacks; used for China's J-20 stealth fighter.
2.Lockheed Martin F-22 data - for China's J-31 fighter.
3.Missile guidance - Tech stolen to enhance Chinese missile systems.
4.NASA space tech - Hacked data on propulsion and materials research.
5.Chip designs worth billions were taken for China's memory chip industry.
6.Nuclear missile sensors - Infrared detection tech stolen for military applications.
7.Boeing C-17 Data - Military transport plane specs hacked, linked to China's Y-20.
8.Apple's Self-Driving Car Tech - An ex-employee took secrets to a Chinese startup.
9.Chip technology - theft via partnerships to advance Chinese semiconductors.
10. Nuclear reactor designs - AP1000 tech taken during a joint venture.
11. American radio systems - Proprietary tech stolen by Hytera, a Chinese enterprise.
12. American semiconductor processes - Targeted in cyberattacks to close China's tech gap.
13. Software code - theft via espionage for Chinese tech firms.
And that's just what a quick search confirmed.
China has stolen the intellectual property of a massive chunk of cutting-edge American technology and military platforms. Yes, there were also instances of American firms voluntarily giving away tech secrets to Chinese companies, but that does not apply to the abovementioned list.
This list alone accounts for hundreds of billions, if not trillions, of dollars in stolen value. This is where the real "deficit" between our nations becomes most transparent. The CCP is not an honest trade partner, and it never will be.
Outside of its dishonorable trade practices, the Chinese Communist Party is the world's most malevolent force, and it threatens America's founding principles and global sovereignty. Sure, the United States often finds itself trading with some unsavory partners, but China combines tyranny with bad faith, and it's simply a bridge too far.
Wall Street may not like it, but America's complete decoupling from Chinese trade is both morally and economically sound in the long term. It will greatly benefit the United States to completely detach from China so that we can have reliable, good faith, and morally sound trade partners.