We can thus envision ways in which the massive trade relationship between China and the United States could persist despite great power competition, even if that competition is punctuated by violence. Financiers and corporations in both countries will wonder about the length of the war, and the cost of rebuilding relationships and supply chains. Chinese and American firms in third countries will, in all likelihood, continue to trade robustly with one another, at least for a time. Indeed, China’s central strategic goal in most conceivable conflicts will be a short, sharp victory followed by a return to the antebellum status quo, at least where trade is concerned.
