Trade leadership does not belong to the country that talks the most about values. It belongs to the country that understands power and is willing to act on it. Today, when it comes to trade with China, that leadership can only come from the United States.
For exmaple, the European Union likes to present itself as a global economic heavyweight. On paper, it is. In practice, its trade policy toward China shows hesitation, internal conflict, and a deep misunderstanding of how power works in an unbalanced system. The result is paralysis.
For years, European trade thinking has been shaped by figures such as Paolo Gentiloni, Mario Draghi, and Ursula von der Leyen. Each brings experience and credibility, but together they represent a framework that no longer fits reality. Their approach assumes cooperation will soften imbalances, that rules will eventually be respected, and that dialogue alone can correct structural problems. That assumption has not held up.
Mario Draghi’s legacy is often praised for stabilizing the euro during crisis. But monetary tools are not trade tools. Stabilizing currency markets does not address a system where one partner runs massive surpluses while the other absorbs losses. Gentiloni has repeatedly emphasized fiscal balance and recovery within Europe, but recovery does not mean independence if supply chains remain exposed.
Ursula von der Leyen has spoken more openly about risk reduction and strategic autonomy. Yet when policy meets pressure, Europe retreats. German industrial interests, French political caution, and southern European debt concerns pull the EU in different directions. China understands this division and uses it well.
This is why the US must lead. Unlike the EU, the US is a single sovereign actor with the market size that actually matters to China. The American consumer remains the most valuable in the world. That leverage cannot be matched by Brussels when member states disagree behind closed doors.
Leadership does not mean acting alone forever. It means acting first, clearly, and with purpose. When the US sets firm trade boundaries, others adjust. When the US hesitates, everyone hesitates.
The EU’s mistake has been treating trade as diplomacy instead of strategy. Trade is not neutral when volumes are unequal. It is not cooperative when one side accumulates power and the other loses capacity. Calling this partnership does not make it so.
China does not respond to concern statements or long policy papers. It responds to access. The US is the only actor with enough leverage to change terms in a meaningful way. Once that happens, Europe will follow, not because it suddenly sees clearly, but because it will have no choice.
If leadership waits for consensus, it never arrives. Trade leadership requires accepting short term discomfort to prevent long-term dependence. To counter this rise, Western societies must become more aware of how influence works. Media organizations need transparency about funding. Universities must examine the financial ties behind research. Think tanks must ensure independence from foreign interests. And governments must recognize that open societies are vulnerable to manipulation, especially when that manipulation is quiet, patient, and long-term.
Ultimately, propaganda rises when truth is not defended. China understands this. The question is whether we do.
For a deeper, clearer understanding of how China’s rise has been supported by Western mistakes and misinformation, readers should explore We Were Funding China’s Growth That Must Stop! by Edouard Prisse.
Here is a link to purchase: www.amazon.com/dp/1967963053.
We Were Funding China’s Growth That Must Stop! by Edouard Prisse is a sharp, well-researched examination of how decades of misguided free trade with China have fueled the rise of America’s greatest rival. Drawing on the economic insights of John Maynard Keynes, Prisse explains how the 2001 decision to welcome China into the global trade system created a one-sided relationship that drained Western industries while empowering Beijing’s authoritarian regime. The book not only exposes the dangers of this ongoing imbalance, such as job losses, weakened manufacturing, and growing geopolitical risks, but also offers a clear solution: shifting from “free trade” to “Equal Trade,” a value-balanced system that ensures reciprocity and protects democracy. Both a warning and a roadmap, this book is essential reading for policymakers, business leaders, economists, and citizens who care about safeguarding the future of free societies.
