The United States is experiencing a surge in anti-China sentiment, known as "Sinophobia," according to Stephen S. Roach, a China expert. This sentiment has been escalating since the early 2000s, when the U.S. targeted Huawei Technologies. Roach highlights the recent export controls on advanced semiconductors, intended to hinder China's progress in artificial intelligence, as an example of this growing hostility.

Roach notes that concerns have been raised about Chinese electric vehicles and the proposed forced sale or ban of TikTok, which has a significant user base in the U.S. While China has exhibited some "Ameriphobia," Roach emphasizes that it is not as pronounced as the anti-China rhetoric emanating from Washington.

Roach draws parallels to the "red-baiting" of the early 1950s, when Senator Joseph McCarthy and the House Un-American Activities Committee vilified foreign powers. He cites Representative Mike Gallagher, who has led the charge against China as chair of the House Select Committee on the Chinese Communist Party, as a contemporary example of this trend. Gallagher's efforts have cast a shadow over those advocating for engagement with China.

Roach argues that the U.S. allegations against China are based on unproven fears and circumstantial evidence. He questions the validity of claims that Chinese EVs could be weaponized or that sensors in Chinese-made cranes pose a security threat.

Roach suggests that the excessive fear of China masks America's own self-inflicted problems. He points to chronic U.S. budget deficits and underinvestment in research and development as underlying factors contributing to trade deficits and technological challenges.

Roach concludes by quoting President Franklin Roosevelt's famous line, "The only thing we have to fear is fear itself," urging Americans to remember this message amidst the current Sinophobic frenzy.