Professor Gregory Bowman on Trade with China & Implications for Professional Sports

My colleague Professor Gregory Wells Bowman has a provocative op-ed piece in today's Jackson Clarion Ledger. Greg--who practiced international trade law at Baker and McKenzie in D.C. before joining the faculty of Mississippi College School of Law in 2004--addresses U.S. trade with China, and argues that whether we like it or not, the U.S. will not have a significant impact on China's trade policies in the long term. He notes that as China continues to develop a middle class, Chinese consumers will replace U.S. consumers as the primary purchasers of Chinese goods. Couple that fact with the fact that many non-U.S. companies can provide products and technology as good or better than ours, and we can see why the U.S economic influence over China will only dissipate in time.

Greg concludes his op-ed piece with this legal and policy directive:

[M]any U.S. trade policies do not deter Chinese development, but rather simply divert business abroad. In fact, if we eased our current controls on China, we would have greater export trade with China, and that would help our cause in trade discussions with China . . . the U.S. must stop trying to play international trade cop with China and accept that we cannot rig the game in our favor. Only then will we be able to formulate an international trade strategy with China that can maximize our interests.

The op-ed piece pertains to sports in a number of ways. For instance:

* If the United States adopts less restrictive trade policies with China, will professional sports leagues enjoy greater autonomy in pursuing Chinese fans?

* Will a growing Chinese middle class mean more profitable sports leagues in China--and thus, would more American basketball players not good enough for the NBA find playing in China an attractive option?

* How about recruitment of premiere Chinese athletes -- we remember the intense negotiations required with the Chinese government to allow Yao Ming to play in the NBA -- will a more harmonious trade relationship between the nations encourage greater reciprocity between Chinese and American sports associations?

There are many other questions as well. Also, if you are interested in international trade, be sure to check out Greg's publications on SSRN.

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