The fear of the decoupling of the technology sectors between the US and China mentioned in a Financial Times editorial ‘The world should beware a technology cold war’ (December 12) reminded me of a piece of advice by Wolf Schenke. In his 1938 article ‘The Space as a Weapon’ in Zeitschrift für Geopolitik, the German journalist said the vast extent of space enabled China to survive and Japan should better make peace to break the stalemate.11. Wolf Schenke: „Der Raum als Waffe, Eine Studie zum Krieg der halben Maßnahmen“. In: Zeitschrift für Geopolitik. Bd. 15, September 1938. S. 705–711. As he said, China weathered the torment and Japan’s military attempt ended in a fiasco.

The space as a weapon is not limited to battlefields. The technology trade is a global sector based upon highly integrated supply chains. Yet, when they collapse, the countries without sufficient land or resources—Europe, Japan and others—would suffer, not China. It is true China may be affected so far as it receives benefit from free trade, but it has potential to form its exclusive supply chains because of its extensive space as well as huge domestic population. Thus, Donald Trump’s protectionism will end in a temporary slowdown of Chinese tech power.