BEIJING, January 13. /TASS/. US President-elect Donald Trump will promote economic de-globalization and fragmentation of the global market, Yan Xuetong, Dean of the Department of International Relations at China's Tsinghua University said in a roundtable discussion on Sino-US relations under Trump.
"What will happen after Trump has taken office? He will reinforce the trend towards economic de-globalization. The international market will be further divided," Yan said. He sees the reason for this in Trump's protectionist approach and global overproduction.
Airplanes assembled in the US cannot be used by the whole world, Yan said.
"If I don't sell what I produce, I don't make money. If I don't sell, production will shrink. If I cut production, there will be fewer jobs. If I don't sell, my wealth won't increase. What should I do in a situation like this? I will have to protect my market," the expert explained. The tariffs that Trump is threatening to impose on foreign imports are aimed at "closing the borders of the United States" and forcing Americans to consume products of their own manufacture, Yan said.
Protectionist measures by one country will trigger a reaction from others, he forecasts. Yan believes that Trump will relocate production chains to the US, preventing them from being placed even in allied states.
The Chinese expert believes Trump will focus on technological rivalry with China. In his policies he will also have to consider how to prevent a wider technological gap between the US and China, which is actively developing its digital economy.