The rise of great powers: starting from military industry

Peninsula Hotel, Suite.

The wireless TV station is broadcasting the evening news.

Liu Tao took a hot bath, and lay on the bed in pajamas, leaning on the pillow, watching the news.

The news broadcast at this time is about the economic and trade war between the United States and Japan.

After the end of World War II, in order to rebuild the war-torn Europe, the United States implemented the Marshall Plan, which accelerated the United States' dominant position in the world economy.

After the outbreak of the Korean War, Japan gradually became an important logistics base for the US military with its geographical advantages. Therefore, the United States gradually changed its occupation policy towards Japan, and the war reparations for World War II were reduced from the initial US$54 billion to US$2.23 billion. Japan also became the United States' most advanced fortress against the Soviet Union in Asia. At that time, Japan's industrial enterprises received a large number of military orders, and the economy also saw a "special demand boom", and the gross national product also returned to the highest level before World War II.

It can be said that the Korean War at least won Japan 10 years.

So much so that the Japanese business community commented that if there had been no Korean War, Japan would never have become an economic power in the 1960s.

By the 1960s, Japan had risen rapidly in the automobile, color TV, and semiconductor industries. After experiencing two oil crises, Japanese cars not only impacted the US market, but also the European market with their design advantages.

In the 1980s, Japanese cars surpassed the United States for the first time to become the world's number one. At the same time, Japan's semiconductor industry took 30% of the global market share at the time, defeating AMD and Intel.

A report released by the US Department of Commerce in 1983 pointed out that among the five high-tech fields, the United States is currently only ahead of Japan in aircraft manufacturing and aerospace technology, while it lags behind Japan in semiconductor technology, optical fiber technology, and intelligent mechanical technology.

In 1978, the US-Japan trade deficit exceeded US$10 billion for the first time, and reached US$50 billion in 1985, accounting for one-third of the US trade deficit.

Not only that, Japan accounts for half of the total US foreign debt and is the largest creditor of the United States.

In order to narrow the trade deficit, the United States can be said to have taken various measures, such as several major companies forming a semiconductor alliance, and forcing West Germany and Japan to sign the "Plaza Accord" in 1985.

It can be said that the United States has taken various measures to reduce its trade deficit with Japan.

However, according to Japan's external announcement, its foreign trade surplus in 1986 reached 100 billion US dollars, a record high. At the same time, the US Department of Commerce announced that the US foreign trade deficit in 1986 reached 170 billion US dollars, a record high.

In this case, the US economic containment of Japan has become more tough and fierce, and the dissatisfaction with Japan in the United States is increasing day by day.

Liu Tao looked at the news, shook his head slightly, and sighed softly.

Last year's Louvre Conference did not achieve much results. West Germany and Japan were unwilling to compromise and let the United States suck blood. The United States has never achieved a hearty victory in the military because of the Libyan and Middle Eastern affairs. Now Gaddafi is like a madman, extremely hostile to the United States, and constantly clamoring internationally.

The high oil prices have made the high inflation rate in the United States never drop.

This is still because there are many high-quality and low-priced goods from China.

The United States has a trade surplus with China, and this surplus is not small.

That's it. Last year, the United States' foreign trade deficit reached 170 billion US dollars.

And the total debt of the United States is about to exceed 4 trillion US dollars!

The increase in the total amount of US debt is so frightening that many people are criticizing Reagan, thinking that he is irresponsible, and the dissatisfaction with Reagan is increasing day by day. He was even nicknamed the "debt president" and thought that he was a worse president than Hoover.

Americans dream of reducing trade deficits and having more trade surpluses.

As one of the most important sources of each trade deficit, Japan has naturally become a thorn in the eyes and flesh of Americans.

Liu Tao looked at the news and felt very familiar.

He finally understood that 40 years later, they kept waving big sticks and long-arm jurisdiction, which is a tradition.

"The Japanese are really admirable. If it were other countries, they would probably be knocked down in one fell swoop under this set of combined punches." Liu Tao muttered to himself in a low voice.

Relying on the huge trade surplus, Japan's yen appreciation was not as panic as at the beginning, and it stabilized the rhythm.

However, Liu Tao knew that Japan would eventually taste the bad consequences.

The Plaza Accord is like a chronic poison, which constantly accumulates toxins in Japan, and only waits for the toxins to accumulate to a certain level, which will kill people.

Before, Japan's economic development was very healthy, but after the Plaza Accord, Japan's economic policies made a lot of money flow into the stock market and the real estate market. There are even Japanese economists who put forward a view that the stock market and the real estate market are reservoirs.

Little do they know that manufacturing is the foundation of life and the foundation of a strong country.

Funds flow into the stock market and the real estate market, and less into the manufacturing industry.

At the same time, the stock market and the real estate market are virtual, and the bubble is constantly growing. When a needle is injected into the bubble, the bubble will burst.

Now Japan is not only being besieged by the United States economically, but the United States is constantly forcing Japan to make concessions and suck blood from Japan so that it can get its own blood back. Moreover, Japan is facing other challenges, such as China's automobiles, China's motorcycles, China's color TVs, China's electronic industry, and China's semiconductors are all rising rapidly.

The total volume of the world is so big, just like a piece of cake, if others eat more, then he will eat less.

Besides, Japan has a great cost-effectiveness advantage over the United States.

China also has a great cost-effectiveness advantage over Japan.

Just the labor cost, China's labor cost is much lower than Japan's.

For the same product, China's product price is much lower than Japan's. For the same price, you can buy better products in China.

What's more terrifying is that China wants high-end industries, mid-end industries, and low-end industries, and it simply accepts everyone.

China is a large land with a large population.

No matter how many industries there are, they can accommodate them.

This is reflected vividly in key indicators such as power generation, power consumption, coal production, and steel production. These key indicators are increasing at an alarming rate in China.

Even if China is excluded, to be honest, Liu Tao is not optimistic about Japan.

Because there is a dog chain tied around Japan's neck, people can hang the dog chain at any time and stab it with a knife at will.

Sooner or later, Japan will inevitably surrender and lie on the ground and bark a few times.

So far, this world is essentially still a strong one. Whoever has a bigger fist speaks louder and has power.

As for those who want to turn over and become the master, it is simply too difficult.