This conclusion was foregone when China began to focus on developing the Productive Forces and the US took that for granted. Without a hard pivot, the US can’t even hope to catch up to the productive trajectory of China, and even if they do hard pivot, that doesn’t mean they even have a chance to in the first place.

In fact, protectionism has frequently backfired, and had other nations seeking inclusion into BRICS or more favorable relations with BRICS nations.