Opinion

China’s Covid troubles show why it’s not ready to compete with the US

Talk of great power rivalry with the US makes China look strong and powerful, but recent unrest at Foxconn’s Zhengzhou factory shows a different narrative

China is not yet on an equal footing with the US: while it struggles to develop its hi-tech prowess amid US restrictions, it must work hard to protect its vulnerable position in the global supply chain

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Workers queue up to get tested for Covid-19 at the Foxconn factory in Wuhan, Hubei province, on August 5, 2021. Labour shortages and demonstrations at the Foxconn factory in Zhengzhou have renewed concerns over China’s increasingly precarious place in the global supply chain. Photo: AP

April Zhang is the founder of MSL Master and the author of the Mandarin Express textbook series and the Chinese Reading and Writing textbook series.

Published: 1:00am, 8 Dec 2022Updated: 1:51am, 8 Dec 2022

As a Chinese person, I sometimes consider the claim China is the biggest threat to the United States flattering. In 2021, even though China’s annual GDP was not too far behind that of the United States, China’s GDP per capita of US$12,556 was far behind the US mark of US$69,287. Also, while the US sent people to the moon in 1969, China only recently completed building Tiangong, its first space station.

Therefore, this great power rivalry that puts China on an equal footing with the US is a compliment. It makes China look strong and powerful.

However, the recent unrest at Foxconn’s Zhengzhou factory has revealed a more realistic narrative. China is not on an equal footing with the US. In fact, to protect its own vulnerable position in the global supply chain, China must support US industries.