Opinion | Contain China? Washington, that ship has sailed
- Unlike the Soviet Union in the 1980s, China has a highly diversified economy and capable defences making it unlikely to collapse or be contained
- Despite what some pundits in Washington may believe, much of the world would not readily join the US in a war or containment strategy against China
But this presumption is based on a false premise. Today’s China bears little resemblance to the 1980s-era Soviet Union, which suffered from having a flawed governing ideology and an economic foundation that was completely inadequate.
Well before the Soviet Union fell apart, its state-run economy was largely isolated from the global economy, primarily dependent on extractive industries and already in the process of collapsing under the weight of its own contradictions. During the 1980s, the Soviet Union’s gross domestic product was always less than US$4 trillion. Foreign trade accounted for a mere 4 per cent of its gross national product in 1985.
The collapse of the Soviet Union had far more to do with its own inherent contradictions and the vicissitudes of the global economy than with any actions the United States took to hasten its demise. The truth is that the US’ efforts at regime change or containment have not always worked.
