Back when China was the low cost manufacturing center for the global system, ‘free trade’ was all the rage. Now that China’s economy is displacing the US/GB axis as the center of the global system, suddenly free trade is not such a good idea.
I think the issue is that china doesn’t follow a “live and let live” policy in any way. The west decided to trade with china, and let it do its own thing within its borders, to the point of turning a blind eye to human rights violations and blatant theft of western innovation and IP.
Now that china have grown large enough to throw their weight around, they are violating the integrity of other countries, to the point of “covertly” arresting people outside their own borders. They also use their new-found position to pressure or punish anyone that allows citizens or organisations in their country to criticise china.
If they can’t play by the rules, they shouldn’t be allowed to partake in the goods of a free, open society.
The one that practices free trade, free flow of goods and services, free flow of capital and people, freedom of expression, freedom of religion and the freedom to hold any political belief (although acting on some political beliefs may be punishable, see: Nazism and genocide)
The society that brought you practically all modern channels for open, global sharing of knowledge and funding (see: WHO, the world bank, WTO, etc.) and created the most successful board for global, peaceful communication in history: The UN. You can argue about how successful it is, but good luck finding anything that has worked better.
All the goods that come along with being part of such a society are reliant on all participants following the agreed upon rules. When China decides to lie, cheat, steal and bully, they should not be permitted to partake in the goods until they learn how to behave.
