Mark Twain’s, on point, used “more than one way to skin a cat”, in A Connecticut Yankee in King Arthur’s Court, follows: “she was wise, subtle, and knew more than one way to skin a cat”, that is, more than one way to get what she wanted. Thefreedictionary.com provides a conventional definition of beggar-thy’s-neighbor as: an international trade policy of competitive devaluations and increased protective barriers that one country institutes to gain at the expense of its trading partners. Under the guise of fostering ‘indigenous innovation’ in its economy, the Chinese government creatively applies its own, non-conventional, subtle version of beggar-thy-neighbor. Its version doesn’t entail the competitive devaluation of its own currency, which would enhance China’s exports and inhibits its trading partners’ exports. China’s ‘indigenous innovation’ version perpetrates an over-valuation of the currencies of one or more of its trading partners. This adversely affecting all that (those) trading partners’ trade, with all its (their) trading partners, not just trade with China. During the periods China pegged its currency to the U.S. Dollar, China’s version of beggar-thy-neighbor was 8 times as damaging to the U.S. economy as what the media refers to as “China keeping it currency undervalued”.
In November 2003, Warren Buffett in his Fortune, Squanderville versus Thriftville article recommended that America adopt a balanced trade model. The fact that advice advocating balance and sustainability, from a sage the caliber of Warren Buffett, could be virtually ignored for over seven years is unfathomable. Until action is taken on Buffett’s or a similar balanced trade model, by the powers that be, America will continue to squander time, treasure and talent in pursuit of an illusionary recovery.