Gordon G. Chang, lawyer, author, and China expert, recently said that every country, including the US, should require reciprocity from China. He appeared on the Border Wars Podcast in February 2023 to discuss current relations between China and the US.
“I think that all countries, the United States, countries in Latin America, Caribbean, should just demand reciprocity from China,” Chang said on the podcast.
Chang said, “We know [Xi Jinping] is preparing China for war.” Further, Chang said that China’s strategy is “unrestricted warfare.” In the podcast, he gave examples of fentanyl and even TikTok as methods of this unrestricted warfare and called on Americans to start taking China seriously.
Chang has repeatedly voiced his concerns about reciprocity on Twitter. Last year he tweeted, “No #American is permitted to buy land in #China, so why do we permit parties from China to buy land in #America? Whatever happened to reciprocity?” A few weeks ago he tweeted, “#China’s diplomats in the #US should be under the same restrictions #Beijing imposes on ours in China. We need #reciprocity.”
According to American Foreign Relations, reciprocity in diplomatic negotiations involves an exchange of equivalent treatment between nations, serving as a negotiating tool. Reciprocity has been applied to various aspects such as tonnage dues, access to ports and markets, port fees, religious practices, access to raw materials, protection of foreign investments, aviation rights, tourist treatment, and financial matters like exchange controls and debt payments.
Chang is a Distinguished Senior Fellow at the Gatestone Institute and, according to his bio page, a highly knowledgeable author and expert on China and Chinese-US relations. He has written books like “The Coming Collapse of China” and “Nuclear Showdown: North Korea Takes On the World”. With nearly two decades of living and working experience in China and Hong Kong, including roles at prestigious law firms, Chang brings a deep understanding of the region. His writings on China and North Korea have been featured in major publications such as The New York Times, The Wall Street Journal, and the South China Morning Post.
