China in Global Capitalism: Building international solidarity against imperial rivalry

From trade wars and pandemic politics to rioting workers, intercontinental balloons, and battles over TikTok, the US-China relationship has become increasingly hostile in recent years. Whether in the form of overtly racist rhetoric and aggressive trade actions, or the more buttoned down but equally antagonistic efforts to oppose Chinese interests abroad, the US has made clear that it has no interest in giving up its position as global hegemon. This seemingly endless cycle of nationalism, jingoism, and reactionary politics on both sides of the Pacific suggests a downward spiral that could plausibly result in catastrophic military confrontation.

Eli Friedman teaches in the Department of Global Labor and Work at Cornell University. His most recent book is The Urbanization of People: Development, Labor Markets, and Schooling in the Chinese City.

Kevin Lin writes about labor and capitalism in China.

China in Global Capitalismforcefully makes the case that workers and socially marginalized people in both the US and China must oppose our rulers' claims that they have our best interests in mind as they ratchet up their rivalry. Rather, if we're to avert nuclear calamity, we must oppose imperialism in all its forms, and regardless of its source and rhetoric.