At the Munich Security Conference, Secretary of State Marco Rubio made clear that the United States cannot ignore the geopolitical reality of China’s economic behavior.
The European Union already isn’t.
Brussels has formally determined that Chinese producers engaged in dumping across strategic sectors. After investigations, the EU imposed anti-dumping duties and tightened enforcement. Europe didn’t just raise concerns. It acted.
China’s Strategy Is Clear. They use state-backed advantages and artificially low pricing to gain market share in democratic economies by flooding the market, undercutting competitors, and capturing long-term leverage.
This isn’t normal competition. It’s a market distortion.
When artificially low-priced, state-backed imports enter a market, domestic producers cannot compete, which slows investments, shrinks capacity, and weakens the domestic supply chain.
Europe has recognized this pattern and responded with consequences.
The United States must do the same.
When dumping occurs, American manufacturers lose ground. Agricultural markets feel pressure. Rural communities see fewer buyers and less competition. Downstream processing capacity declines.
And the consequences extend even further.
Strategic supply chains in energy, food production, advanced materials, and transportation are not easily rebuilt once they erode. Economic dependence created by distortion can become geopolitical leverage.
That is not a theoretical risk. It is a national security concern.
American trade policy must ensure that China does not flood U.S. markets with artificially low-priced imports that injure domestic industries. We need to close policy loopholes that incentivize dumping, create stronger verification measures on imports, and enforce the rules faster when dumping is detected.
Europe has shown that open markets and strong enforcement can coexist.
The United States should be just as clear. We must respond with the same resolve.
