The End Game

Redefining the goal of US-China relations

An’ here I sit so patiently waiting to find out what price

You have to pay to get out of going through all these things twice.

Those of us who have been navigating US-China relations for some time have seen a lot of ups and downs. Now however, the rate of change has increased, and reversals in direction on both sides seem to be happening on a frequent basis. It is hard to know when and how these heavy seas will calm down, but there is no land in sight. It is enough to give even a seasoned sailor a bad case of seasickness.

There are many examples of recent inconsistent policy behavior by both China and the United States. China seeks access to US capital markets, and then shuts down investors’ ability to do due diligence and transfer and access data.

Intensified communications between the US and China are trumpeted in the Financial Times. But then it was widely reported that this week the Biden Administration will simultaneously ask Congress for more weapons for Taiwan, and will issue an executive order restricting US technology investments in China.

It is perhaps unnecessary to remind, but all multinational companies are technology companies today. They all create huge amounts of data.