Uploaded May 2026 | Updated September 2026, 41 minutes ago
For decades, we were told that globalizing trade and bringing China into the WTO would democratize a superpower and create unprecedented American wealth. Instead, it gutted the industrial heartland, sparked a multi-hundred-billion dollar intellectual property heist, and set the stage for the explosive 2018 trade war.
Voiced by:
Tom McKay
instagram.com/tmckay715
youtube.com/@UC8blX3YnHDG9e9_E9KjPK6g
Footage: Shutterstock
Sources:
Intellectual Property & The 1990s
USTR Special 301 Reports (1989–1996): Documenting systemic IP violations and the 1991 formal investigation.
The IP Commission Report (2017 Update): Estimates U.S. economic losses from IP theft at $225B to $600B annually.
China's WTO Entry (2000)
President Clinton’s WTO Speech (March 8, 2000): Outlining the economic and democratic doctrine behind granting China normal trade status.
OpenSecrets / Public Citizen: Data on corporate lobbying expenditures for the PNTR campaign.
The "China Shock" & Job Losses
Economic Policy Institute (Jan 2020): Report detailing the 3.7 million American jobs lost between 2001 and 2018.
"The China Syndrome" (Autor, Dorn, Hanson - 2013): Landmark economic paper detailing the localized labor market devastation.
Local Industrial Collapse
Maytag Closure (2007): Corporate filings and reporting on Whirlpool's acquisition and the subsequent Newton, Iowa plant shutdown.
Vaughan-Bassett Furniture: U.S. International Trade Commission (USITC) 2004 anti-dumping investigation into Chinese wooden bedroom furniture.
Made in China 2025 & The 2018 Tariffs
Made in China 2025 Blueprint (May 2015): The State Council’s official 10-year tech dominance strategy.
Rhodium Group Data: Tracking the $46 billion peak of Chinese tech acquisitions in the U.S. in 2016.
USTR Section 301 Report (2018): The official findings on forced technology transfers that triggered the initial $34 billion tariff package.
Inquiries: behindasian@gmail.com
Brought to you by the Behind Asian Team.
For decades, we were told that globalizing trade and bringing China into the WTO would democratize a superpower and create unprecedented American wealth. Instead, it gutted the industrial heartland, sparked a multi-hundred-billion dollar intellectual property heist, and set the stage for the explosive 2018 trade war.
Voiced by:
Tom McKay
instagram.com/tmckay715
youtube.com/@UC8blX3YnHDG9e9_E9KjPK6g
Footage: Shutterstock
Sources:
Intellectual Property & The 1990s
USTR Special 301 Reports (1989–1996): Documenting systemic IP violations and the 1991 formal investigation.
The IP Commission Report (2017 Update): Estimates U.S. economic losses from IP theft at $225B to $600B annually.
China's WTO Entry (2000)
President Clinton’s WTO Speech (March 8, 2000): Outlining the economic and democratic doctrine behind granting China normal trade status.
OpenSecrets / Public Citizen: Data on corporate lobbying expenditures for the PNTR campaign.
The "China Shock" & Job Losses
Economic Policy Institute (Jan 2020): Report detailing the 3.7 million American jobs lost between 2001 and 2018.
"The China Syndrome" (Autor, Dorn, Hanson - 2013): Landmark economic paper detailing the localized labor market devastation.
Local Industrial Collapse
Maytag Closure (2007): Corporate filings and reporting on Whirlpool's acquisition and the subsequent Newton, Iowa plant shutdown.
Vaughan-Bassett Furniture: U.S. International Trade Commission (USITC) 2004 anti-dumping investigation into Chinese wooden bedroom furniture.
Made in China 2025 & The 2018 Tariffs
Made in China 2025 Blueprint (May 2015): The State Council’s official 10-year tech dominance strategy.
Rhodium Group Data: Tracking the $46 billion peak of Chinese tech acquisitions in the U.S. in 2016.
USTR Section 301 Report (2018): The official findings on forced technology transfers that triggered the initial $34 billion tariff package.
Inquiries: behindasian@gmail.com
Brought to you by the Behind Asian Team.
