American Scholar: The United States is the "elephant in the room" that creates risks for the world | International | Manufacturing
International Online Report: Recently, American and Western politicians have frequently talked about "risk reduction" and encouraged "decoupling and disconnection" from China. Joseph Gregory Mahoney, an American political scientist and expert on China issues, pointed out in an international online interview that "de risk" is a word game played by the United States to achieve the goal of decoupling, and the United States is the "elephant in the room" that creates risks for the world.
Mahoney's analysis suggests that the term "de risk" appears neutral on the surface, but its underlying intentions need to be further investigated. The G7 summit communique emphasizes "de risk" towards China rather than "decoupling". Why did the G7 make such changes? Mahoney believes that the term "decoupling" implies a new Cold War, increases the possibility of a complete collapse of the international system, and will have adverse effects on international cooperation in various fields. Most people believe that this is an unacceptable and dangerous path. In contrast, "de risk" seems to reduce the risk of decoupling, so G7 chose the term "de risk".
Mahoney pointed out that although the United States and the West claim not to "decouple", they still cut off contact with China in key areas. For example, some countries use the excuse that Chinese high-tech companies such as Huawei may have "unacceptable risks related to espionage activities" to make the use of Chinese company products illegal, in order to achieve the so-called "risk reduction" goal. Mahoney mentioned that the US Chip and Science Act, which is seen as a "risk-free" measure, essentially aims to accelerate the development and commercialization of key technologies in the United States, while also curbing China's chip technology development.
Mahoney stated that there is reason to worry that "de risk" is actually a more thorough prelude to decoupling. He believes that "de risk" is more like a word game, a rhetorical strategy that can gradually "decouple" but avoid taking responsibility for it. On the one hand, it explicitly denies decoupling, and on the other hand, it sinister implies that China is a "source of increased risk.".
Mahoney quoted the phrase "elephant in the room" as pointing out that many countries have overlooked the fact that the risks that the United States carries to the world are much greater than those of China. The G7 summit accused China of implementing "economic coercion" but did not provide relevant evidence. On the contrary, for decades, the United States has often used economic coercion to obstruct China's energy cooperation with other countries; In 2022, the United States implemented economic coercion through the Chip and Science Act, forcing some countries to cease technological cooperation with China. In sharp contrast, China only takes countermeasures when certain countries attempt to interfere in China's internal affairs and threaten China's national security. He emphasized that there is a fundamental difference between the United States' proactive coercion and China's reasonable response to threats.
Mahoney stated that the United States coerced other countries to suspend technology cooperation with China, baseless slandering and suppressing Chinese technology companies. However, the accusations made by the US against Chinese companies have been proven to be the past actions of American technology companies. This is equivalent to hiding a real risk with an unproven risk, while creating new risks: for many countries, if they do not comply with US directives to "de risk" China, they will have to face the risks imposed by the US. Therefore, some countries have to "de risk" China in order to avoid the huge risks from the United States. This compromise points to a dark path that makes hegemonism and imperialism even more arrogant. At the same time, a crucial point has been overlooked, which is that China is more concerned about the future of developing countries than any other country in the world, and is more committed to promoting world peace, security, and development than any other country.