Chinese AntiSatellite Missile Test May Result In More American Caution In High Technology Trade

The trade deficit with China is so one-sided, at just $41 billion of U.S. exports to China compared to $631.8(2005 estimate) that for many years very few real checks and balances were on dual use American technology that may have supplied China's military with American high tech goods that may have greatly improved Chinese missiles and other military goods. But now the recent Chinese successful test of the antisatellite weapon has raised new fears that the U.S. was way too lax on some technology transfers with China. In fact only about $12.5 million in U.S. technology exports were actually restricted, with only about 6% of the total of $41 billion in U.S. exports even questioned by U.S. trade officials. Only one American trade official is even stationed in China for example.

Another potentially dangerous area of lax security standards in dealing with China has been U.S. military contractors having many missile component's electronic systems actually produced in China in order to cut down on far higher American labor costs. This has raised questions of the Chinese military building either tracking or failure weaknesses into these American-imported military use electronic components.

All of this should have been a concern so long ago. But then again American corporate greed to utilize cheap Chinese labor or sell goods, even those with vital security risk concerns, has been ignored and sacrificed a significant amount of American military superiority to a military rival like China.