China’s path to world dominance is being laid by President Trump’s policies, including in Alaska: Commentary

To understand why the role of the U.S. in the world is threatened, take climate change: China now is producing more solar and wind power capacity than the rest of the world combined and is exporting its green technology throughout the world by building electric vehicles and batteries.

Though congressional embrace of Trump’s budget bill, incentives to build EVs and expand solar and wind energy are being phased out in favor of significant increases in oil and gas production. General Motors recently shifted a large manufacturing plant in Buffalo, New York, from manufacturing EVs to gas-guzzling V-8 engines.

Alaska is the focus of Trump’s oil and gas policies, headlined by the plan to build a massive gas export project and open-up most of the North Slope to petroleum production, with few environmental protections. The gas pipeline was projected five years ago to cost $44 billion, but today that estimate might climb to $60-$70 billion. Meanwhile, promising solar and wind projects are fading with the withdrawal of federal incentives.

Trump’s elimination of America’s “soft power” initiatives, which includes dismantling the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID) and decimating the State Department, allows China free rein to impose its not-so-soft “humanitarian” policies in the world’s most needy areas. The loss of U.S. aid will eliminate programs designed to address communicable and infectious disease outbreaks, such as mpox and Ebola, which help protect world health. HIV/AIDS efforts have also had their funding frozen this year, though they may receive funding in the future. China’s aid programs tend to be economic that end up benefiting China.

U.S. scientific research programs are being cancelled by the Trump administration at an alarming rate, including in Alaska. America’s global economic dominance is largely due to its leadership in technology and scientific discoveries. Combined with Trump’s attacks on leading universities and educational programs, these efforts will ensure the U.S. will lag behind in technology and science.

Just look at the Nobel prizes awarded to the U.S., which add up to more than 400. Roughly one-third of those winners were not born in the U.S. These immigrant scientists and scholars were from a host of countries. Among the original home countries of the laureates, the ones with the most winners include: Canada, United Kingdom, Germany, China, Italy, Russia, Japan, France, Poland, Norway, Hungary, South Africa, Austria, Australia and Romania.

Most of these laureates were working on research projects connected to U.S. universities and government agencies. Where are they bound to go now? Most likely European and other Western countries, such as Canada and Australia. China’s universities provide few learning opportunities for brilliant scholars and they will continue to attend the world’s best universities.

Tariffs are being turned on our friends and enemies alike and are undermining America’s standing around the globe. China’s leaders must be celebrating.

Rodger Painter is a former journalist, legislative staffer and longtime leader in the Alaska seafood industry. He grew up as a salmon fisherman and later became editor of a commercial fishing newspaper, executive director of the United Fishermen of Alaska, aide to the House Fisheries Committee, board member of the Alaska Seafood Marketing Institute and president of the Alaskan Shellfish Growers Association.