It seems so unsustainable to avoid training your own people and instead exporting these valuable skills to people in other countries which are not guaranteed to be friendly with us forever.
True, but that's been the argument against outsourcing manufacturing for 40+ years. Yet, it is still being done.
I think the best the US can do, right now, is to import from countries where it has some clout and can better control manufacturing. It's crazy to think that a big chunk of your products are being manufactured in China, a country that is competing against you.
>True, but that's been the argument against outsourcing manufacturing for 40+ years. Yet, it is still being done.
And it's generally made the world a better place. Even current conflicts don't even remotely compare to the Cold War. Some historical perspective may be needed but the world is better off if it engages in trade and specialisation. Nobody gains from the US retreating into a new era of isolation.
The entire world now has single points of failure because of this kind of specialization. Sure, it makes certain classes lots of money but it forces others into poverty and when bad things happen suddenly your supply for critical goods is cut off. To say nothing of the geopolitical consequences here, where letting so much of high tech manufacturing accrue in one country presents tremendous risk if anything goes sideways.
I assure you California is not losing against France in winemaking. The China shock was a one-time event that enriched billions of poor people who will be the world's consumers.
I think the best the US can do, right now, is to import from countries where it has some clout and can better control manufacturing. It's crazy to think that a big chunk of your products are being manufactured in China, a country that is competing against you.