As President Obama seeks to get the fast track Presidential approval for trade agreements, he seems to hanker after the benefits of the single party state….
But he is after getting the power to approve TPPA, the Trans Pacific Trade deal which binds over 10 nations into giving up government supervision of trade, and which he hopes will create a serious commercial power base for the USA in Asia. It is seen by some as an antidote to the Chinese Free Trade Area with Asean. It was planned to link with an E.U. – NAFTA Free Trade Area, but this looks less likely. Taken together they would have presented a serious challenge to China.
But China seems to have moved on to a broader strategy based upon opening trade and commercial routes with all its neighbours as part of creating a new Eurasian trade development zone, which would dwarf any others in the world.
China is operating on its borders and beyond, the USA across many thousands of miles of ocean. China is building out from China and has been for over 30 years – I have been writing about the Chinese umbrellas beyond its borders for that long since I first came across the policy in Yunnan in 1991.
China’s approach is based upon common prosperity and helping other nations develop. I think the USA is in a phase of expanding American economic power. There are two different views of the world.
The Chinese have funds and infrastructure capability – ask Africa – and the Americans have powerful corporates and a powerful military.
They can compete or work together. The 20th century shows the possible outcome of competition. In fact European history for the last 1000 years shows how competition between nations usually ends up.
My guess is that after huffing and puffing China will be allowed to join TPPA as part of a wider compact.
Below are some articles about China and Russia, and China and Pakistan that show how the Silk roads are already happening, how China is moving along a different road from the U.S.A.
President Xi visited Russia this week and Pakistan two weeks ago.
They also illustrate the geopolitical background that are part of this major decades long project.
At the very end is a map showing how the Roads from Xinjiang through Pakistan lead to the oceans.
These developments have been years in the research and testing. Now is the roll out and huge opportunities for Western nations
http://www.scmp.com/comment/insight-opinion/article/1775827/much-gain-china-and-pakistan