RICHMOND TIMES DISPATCH 03/17/25
By Dr. Michael Shank and Former US Congressman Mike Honda

Bullying isn’t a new phenomenon in American politics, the press or public spaces. It’s always been there, from early European settler domination of our indigenous First Nations communities to more recent hate speech and actions accosting the transgender community in America. It’s a tool of empires past and present.

The more ravenous the imperial bullying, however, the more desperate the cling to power and the more vulnerable to toppling. While it’s clear that President Donald Trump is introducing a new bullying ethic and norm into America’s domestic fabric and foreign policy that is far more apparent than during his first term, it’s also a sign of increasing weakness and vulnerability.

Observe the bullying in foreign policy in order to buy Greenland or Gaza, the bullying in trade and immigration policy in order to get other countries to submit, the bullying of federal agencies and employees with the threat of dismissal.

All of this is bullying. And it’s increasing in frequency and ferocity. And yet we let it continue; in fact, we give it space to breathe and grow, in the press and in our politics.

But there’s a mounting diplomatic, political, economic and social cost to all of this bullying. And soon Trump’s bull-in-the-China-shop routine will backfire, and “America First” will come in last or be a thing of the past.

China, meanwhile, is busy leaning in where the U.S. is letting go.

On trade, for example, China’s celebrating a $1 trillion trade surplus while the U.S. trade deficit hit a new record in 2024. Meanwhile, in the U.S. the Trump administration slaps exorbitant trade tariffs on multiple countries in a reckless and misguided effort to course correct. Trump’s latest tariffs on China were met immediately with retaliatory measures directly targeting U.S. farmers and farm goods, illustrating how Trump’s escalating trade war will hurt Americans the most.

On transportation, as a second example, China’s top electric vehicle manufacturer, the BYD Company, is now leading the world in electric vehicle supply, setting new records in overseas sales as it ramps up global dominance. Meanwhile, in the U.S. the Trump administration campaigned on cutting federal tax credits for electric vehicles and just froze funding for EV charging infrastructure to the states.

On research, as a third example, China leads the world in high-quality physics research with the U.S. failing to rank in the top 10. In the U.S., science agencies are bracing for mass layoffs by the Trump administration, threatening to knock America’s global standing even further down the ranking.

On energy, as a fourth example, China leads the world in wind and solar energy production, with twice as much capacity under construction as the rest of the world combined. Meanwhile, in the U.S. the Trump administration is actively undermining wind and solar power industries at every turn.

The examples of Chinese dominance globally could continue. As the U.S. cuts its foreign aid funding and staffing, for example, China will likely fill the void and continue to ramp up its development projects around the world. As the U.S. cuts its education department and federal support for schools, China will continue to dominate the top spots in global student rankings and performance.

The point is, when it comes to preparing for an imperial pathway, China clearly has the long game in its sights, waiting for the American bully in the China shop to inadvertently bulldoze everything around it, including its own assets and investments.

A better approach, if these two empires want any chance of coexisting, is to play nice in this increasingly precarious political system.

Continued bullying by the U.S. will only motivate allies to find a different economic or political box to play in. Take, for example, the mega port in Latin America that will open up vast new trading routes with China, leaving the U.S. out to dry. Or take the growth of BRICS — founded by Brazil, Russia, India, China and South Africa — and the rapidly shifting world order with the recent integration of five new members and eight new partner countries. It now represents over 40% of the world’s economy and continues to expand, again leaving the U.S. behind.

More bullying by the U.S. will paradoxically bring about the end of its imperial path as it’ll box out the very markets on which that empire depends. A successful America First strategy is one that is interdependent with the world, not isolated from it. Time for the bully to stop breaking everything around it.