In an article published in The Diplomat on Oct. 24, and again in an interview with Glenn Diesen on Dec. 26, Professor Wang Wen described what he called “China’s De-Americanization Strategy.” Professor Wang is the Dean and Professor of Chongyang Institute for Financial Studies at Renmin University of China, the Dean of the School of Global Leadership, and the Deputy Dean of the Silk Road School, as well as a visiting professor at more than 10 universities around the world. He makes clear that China is not engaged in “a Cold War replay,” nor is it trying to cut ties to the U.S., but is rather engaged in a “broader effort … to redefine its path of development and reduce exposure to U.S. pressure.” He demonstrates his argument in five key areas: trade, science and technology, finance, ideology, and education. It is worth reviewing the data he provides in order to understand the crucial role of U.S.-China relations in the current radically changing world.
“In 2018, the United States made up 19.3% of China’s total foreign trade. By the first eight months of 2025, that share had fallen to 9.2%—even as China’s total trade expanded 45%.” Sales of China’s high-tech goods to the U.S. have fallen to 28%, while such exports to regional countries have risen to 41%.
While the United States has blacklisted more than 1,700 Chinese entities since 2018, “aiming to block their access to advanced technologies,” China has instead massively expanded research and development, such that China now “accounts for 61.5% of global generative AI patents, and its research papers in autonomous driving and quantum computing now exceed U.S. publications in citation impact.” Other milestones include: “the Beidou satellite network now serves more than 200 countries and regions; the Fendouzhe submersible reached a depth of 10,000 meters, and the Chang’e 6 lunar probe returned samples from the far side of the Moon,” the only nation to have achieved that feat.
In global finance, whereas the U.S. weaponized the use of the dollar as the leading international currency for trade, “China’s Cross-Border Interbank Payment System now supports transactions in 185 countries … and China has signed local currency settlement agreements with more than 40 countries.” A full 58% of cross-border trade globally is now conducted in China’s RMB, while 95% of China’s trade with Russia is in local currencies. Professor Wang emphasizes that “China is not aiming to displace the U.S. dollar. Instead, it is creating a system where the dollar remains central but is supplemented by other currencies, strengthening financial security and reducing exposure to unilateral sanctions.”
