The Accelerated Decoupling with China: the Background and Progress of the U.S. Decoupling Strategy 

Kim Kisoo

(kskim@sejong.org)       

Senior Research Fellow, 

The Sejong Institute

English Abstract

The integration of China and the world economy was a key driver of China’s economic development after the Chinese economic reform. Decoupling, the opposite concept, therefore means reversing the globalization of the Chinese economy. If the U.S. and other countries close to the U.S. pursue decoupling policies, the integrated connection between China and the global economy will inevitably change. In other words, the logic that China’s power will weaken is embedded in the decoupling strategy. The idea of separating China from the global economy, decoupling, was first visible during the Trump administration. At that time, the U.S. alone put pressure on China to seek decoupling. Although the Biden administration inherited the policy, the implementation differed. With its allies, it is trying to decouple China. The so-called Allied Decoupling showed more noticeable and swifter effect. Considering that the conflict between the U.S. and China has already reached the ideological level, the U.S. policy of decoupling is has turned out to be one of the means of various attacks against China. It is difficult for South Korea to go against such a big trend.