You were talking about offshoring… Offshoring can be seen as a natural outcome of free trade, where production and specialization shift to the regions that can perform them most efficiently- competitive advantage. Milton Friedman was a proponent of Free Trade but did not focus specifically on offshoring.
So no it definitely wasn’t obvious you were speaking about Milton. My spill was not so much about defending free trade but to give context as to why we are doing all this tariff nonsense and what we might be trying to do with regard to China.
The Belt and Road Initiative serves multiple objectives aimed at benefiting both China and its partner countries, and it has no military component. It’s more comparable to the voyages of Zheng He, who sailed abroad to build goodwill and recognition for China, rather than to extract direct benefit for China alone. Contrast that with what the European navigators did almost a century later. That’s not to say China doesn’t gain from the BRI—it certainly does—but so do the participating countries. It’s a far cry from colonial ventures or exploitative enterprises like the United Fruit Company in Central America or Dole in Hawaii. The Belt and Road is built on the idea of mutual benefit and cooperative development.
When it comes to the South China Sea, it’s essential to understand the historical context before making any meaningful claims. You won’t learn much about that history from CNN, Fox, the BBC, or most mainstream commentators—they rarely explore this in much depth, or at all.
The United States often dictates policy to the Philippines, and the current administration under Marcos tends to comply. That dynamic is usually left unspoken in the coverage, even though it shapes much of what gets reported. Unfortunately, the Philippines is not approaching the dispute constructively.
Territorial disagreements in the South China Sea have been ongoing for decades. The countries directly involved have been working through these issues themselves. They don’t need U.S. interference. And that’s not just China’s stance—it reflects the position of most ASEAN countries, with the notable exception of Marcos’ Philippines.