Relations between the United States and China have deteriorated amid the trade dispute. The trade dispute is closely connected to the “world’s factory.” The “world’s factory” is a metaphor that describes China’s economic role. Because of the trade war, the “world’s factory” is starting to fall apart and it will continue to do so–this is its fate. Its creation has led to its demise.
On Oct. 4, U.S. Vice President Mike Pence delivered a speech that criticized China’s foreign activities, triggering various responses from home and abroad. Some state-run media outlets in China said that Pence’s speech denotes “the sun in the U.S. is setting”–which implies that Washington feels helpless so it picks on China and uses it as a scapegoat to divert the world’s attention from America’s problems. Does the United States have a bleak future? Judging from the U.S. economy’s current state, it is too early to say. Thus my report will not focus on that issue but on China’s “world factory” which shows signs of deterioration due to foreign companies’ withdrawal.
