I find the idea of “dependence” in this context interesting. Mostly because I don’t totally know how real it is. Like, the price of “independence” would be enormous, with some spiraling impacts on cost of living, etc.
I think the bigger argument is that nations and economies should be
interdependent, whereas China's policies do not allow for that.
The US is not dependent on Europe, and Europe is not dependent on the US, nor is either side independent of each other;
we are interdependent.
IMHO China views the world through a mercantilist lens; whoever produces and exports the most wins. So their goal is not interdependence. Their goal is to build everything we need and sell it to us, and build everything they need and sell it domestically, and not let anyone else sell TO them. They want to be independent of anyone else, and they want everyone else to be dependent on them. They believe that is the path to power.
I know it's an unpopular opinion here, but I believe they've committed a fundamental error in not seeking interdependence. Largely for the reason 94 states--China is no longer really a low cost country (LCC). If they had spent the last 3 decades seeking interdependence, their market would be of critical importance to multinational companies and brands. But they don't let us sell there, so their market is closed. So what will stop us from moving production to other lower-cost nations and withdrawing from China as a market entirely? Nothing. Economic ties are easier to break when you're not interdependent.
China has spent 30 years subsidizing worldwide consumption by mistreating their own people, polluting their own environment, manipulating their currency to keep it weak. Now that they're no longer considered an LCC, they might see companies pulling out, and I'm not sure they've bootstrapped their own economy where they can be competitive without resorting to the tactics they've been using 30 years.
China thought they were the hot young lady marrying the old fogey, expecting us to die soon, and thought they'd get a windfall inheritance. But we're starting to reach a point where we're thinking about divorce, leaving her nothing, because another
LCC PYT has caught our eye.