Sun Aug 03 19:03:20 UTC 2025: **News Article:**
**US-China Tensions Driven by Economic Threat, Not Military, Analyst Argues**
Recent escalation in US-China relations, marked by trade restrictions, sanctions, and military build-up, stem primarily from the perceived threat to Western economic dominance rather than a genuine security risk posed by China, argues an Al Jazeera analyst.
For decades, China’s role as a supplier of cheap labor to Western multinational corporations has been a cornerstone of the global capitalist system. Companies like Apple heavily rely on affordable Chinese labor to maintain profitability. However, rising wages and improved labor conditions in China, coupled with the country’s technological advancements, are challenging this established order.
China’s shift towards high-tech manufacturing, including its development of high-speed rail, renewable energy technologies, and advancements in artificial intelligence, threatens the Western monopoly on crucial technologies, according to the report. This challenges the ability of core nations to extract value from developing countries through unequal trade.
The US has responded with sanctions and attempts to destabilize the Chinese economy, but these measures have been largely ineffective. The US narrative of a military threat is misleading as China’s military spending per capita is considerably less than the global average and a fraction of the US’s. China’s military presence abroad is minimal compared to the extensive network of US military bases, including those near China. China has not engaged in international warfare in over 40 years, contrasting sharply with the US’s numerous interventions during the same period.
The analyst concludes that the US hostility is rooted in China’s sovereign economic development, which undermines the exploitative economic structures that have long benefited Western capital.
First Piper 