and bring their production lines back home, rather than relying on China or Russia, to avoid blackmail or sabotage — as former and future US President Donald Trump has vowed to restore his “America First” agenda.
“Businesses need to be prepared for a wartime scenario and adjust their production and distribution lines accordingly,” Bauer said. “Because while it may be the military who wins battles, it’s the economies that win wars.”Rob Bauer, chair of the military committee at NATO, warned businesses to stop depending on Russia and China in case war were to break out., the terms of which Russian President Vladimir Putin stepped in to change following the European Union’s backing of Ukraine in 2022.
The dire warning comes as Trump has vowed to prioritize an “America First” agenda, which could include setting 60% tariffs on most goods imported from China in an effort to protect domestic industries.Economists expect the policy to start early next year with 40% tariffs on imports, which would be a significant blow to China.
The deal, made during Trump’s tariff negotiations in his first term, called on China to purchase $50 billion worth of American agricultural goods, on which he claimed Xi has failed to follow through.The European Union could be a target of Russian blackmail or sabotage over its backing of Ukraine against the Kremlin invasion, officials warned.Experts say Trump’s plan would hinder China’s economic plan for 2025 by a whole percentage point, and it remains unclear how Beijing might respond.