Made in China, with Elizabeth O’Brien Ingleson

How and why did China-the world’s largest communist nation-converge with global capitalism? And when did this occur? In this new book, LSE historian Elizabeth Ingleson tells the surprising story of how the United States and China went from Cold War foes to finding common cause by transforming China’s economy into a source of cheap labor, creating the economic interdependence that characterizes our world today.
Far from inevitable, Ingleson shows that this convergence hinged upon a reconfiguration of the very meaning of trade. For centuries, the vastness of the Chinese market tempted foreign companies in search of customers. But in the 1970s, when the United States and China ended two decades of Cold War isolation, China’s trade relations veered in a very different direction. Ingleson argues that the interests of US business and the Chinese state aligned to reframe the China market: the old dream of plentiful customers gave way to a new vision of low-cost workers by the hundreds of millions.
ABOUT THE SPEAKER:
Dr Elizabeth O’Brien Ingleson is Assistant Professor of International History at the London School of Economics. She earned her doctorate at the University of Sydney, and held fellowships at Yale University, the University of Virginia, and Southern Methodist University. She currently serves on the editorial board of the journal Cold War History.

[@Branch7ShuZhi]

The key problem is the growing trade deficit in USA where China has focused on nation building with production of goods and USA trying to dominate the world militarily with wars. If USA had also focused on R&D and production to improve itself and also the world, it would be able to remain as the top economy for a long while to come. So, it is imperative for USA to move away from the use of military interventions and expansion of its military spending, and refocus its resources on its domestic development and well being of its people.

[@BestFitSquareChannel]

Excellent! Thank you. Best wishes.,🖖🏼

[@alfong8279]

A great interview of informational understanding of China v US relations, thanks.

[@wenling3487]

good staff. even I am a Chinese

[@ASIFKARACHI1988]

Nice show....informative

[@michael511128]

Focusing on 1970s China is classroom not real world. China wad ranked first in Happiest Countries in 2023 by the Ipsos survey. They are happy because they have high living standards in terms of food supply, shelter, medicals, education, family and career, just all the basic human needs and human rights. Most Americans are brainwashed by the State Department since the time of Walter Lippmann and Edward Bernays of the 1920s. You really need to drop the habits of American Exceptionalism that you are not superior than the Chinese, rather inferior today in many measures. Bernie Sanders gave a good talk about how bad the US is doing in his Address To Oxford University video, citing his book It’s OK to be Angry about Capitalism. Jeffrey Sachs, Richard Wolff, or Tim Hammond tell about how China has advanced to surpass the US. The thing is not only the billion people in China know a lot more about reality, so do Asians, Russians, Arabs, Africans and most of the Global South. Only Americans and its propaganda controlled Western puppets live in an artificial cocoon of alternative reality. Instead of China 1970s, one would learn properly by reading Noam Chomsky plus some Howard Zinn.

[@orresearch007]

so true !

[@WongPeter-tx7qq]

@@orresearch007 China should never entertain the idea that the Chinese culture, civilization or political system are superior than others - she should concentrate only on improving the livelihoods of not only the Chinese but other nationalities as well. Superiority mindset breeds Exceptionalism.

[@crhu319]

​@@WongPeter-tx7qqand Chairman Mao said exactly that, he was very afraid of Han exceptionalism.

[@PravdaSeed]

⚡Sinosphere 🦋🐉🇨🇳🐉🦋 💫 Thanks 💫 🌀☸️☯️🕉️🌀

[@rastoferi6012]

Southern Methodist University....staying away

[@kchoong6663]

Nothing new, mostly based on public records

[@psikeyhackr6914]

Making what to last how long in China? Where is the data on the depreciation of durable consumer goods? Economists do not have a variable for that in the Net Domestic Product equation. Aberrant Algebra? The Laws of Physics apply all over the planet and do not care about economics or nationalism. Where is the data on the annual depreciation of automobiles since Sputnik?

[@crhu319]

Good point. It's a hidden factor that can no longer be hidden. Pure EVs will last 2.5x longer than ICE cars but parallel hybrids only 0.75x as long due to their weird small custom batteries and extreme complexity.