Commentary In July The National Interest published an essay entitled “Can America Lose to China?” written by Kishore Mahbubani, a fellow at the National University of Singapore’s Asia Research Institute and a former Singapore U.N. Ambassador. The essay focuses on the China-U.S. political, economic, and social competition. Mahbubani begins with an observation: Americans believe “an open society like America has many natural advantages” over China’s autocracy. By assuming inherent advantage, “Americans cannot even conceive of the possibility of losing out to China.” That may well be true, though not quite in the way he frames the problem. I disagree with several of Mahbubani’s subsequent points. He believes the United States should reintegrate its economy with China’s. Sure, trade is beneficial, but U.S. overreliance on China is a strategic error. Fair trade does not exist when dictatorial whim rigs contracts and court decisions. At times he portrays Beijing as relatively benign …