Carrots and Sticks: Evolving U.S. Economic Policy toward China

The U.S.-China economic relationship has been enormously beneficial to workers, producers, consumers, and investors in both countries. Yet the relationship has its share of skeptics. One rationale for U.S. economic engagement with China was that it would facilitate economic liberalization, which should promote political reform and improve China’s human rights record.

Does the United States need to reexamine that premise? Is China’s rise a threat to U.S. “economic sovereignty,” as some critics contend? Should the United States penalize China for “currency manipulation”? Is China’s sovereign wealth fund a threat to U.S. national security? Please join Cato scholars Daniel Ikenson and James Dorn for a discussion of these and other issues affecting U.S.-China economic relations.