China

China was a struggling third world country until the 1980's when they opened up their economy to the free market and since that time they have grown quickly. In 2001 their economy got a big boost when they were allowed to join the WTO. This required them to follow general rules for international trading which they promptly disregarded. Over the years they have used cheap labor to draw businesses from the west. The business is more competitive since they have so few environmental controls. They save billions on R&D by stealing intellectual property from the west. They export far more than they import and run a favorable balance of trade with all countries. There is no free press since the government controls speech. Large areas of their population work as slaves. They have students going to school all around the west with the hidden purpose of acting as spies. They buy up businesses that allow them to spy on the west. Recently they have been providing funds and fentanyl to the Mexican cartels to bring drugs into the US. There is evidence that the Covid virus started in China and was allowed to spread to the rest of the world. Many feel this is a non shooting war and it is hard for the US to compete with its free and open economy.