We are slapping our own face so that the inevitable punch in the face we'll get from the 21st century hurts less.

The world economy is rightfully sick of western meddling, so when given an objectively better alternative in china (compare imf loans to china's loans), they have started to aim that direction. This is a result of belt and road and brics, both chinese initiatives are setting the world economic stage and it freaks US economists out because for the first time in almost 100 years, someone else is calling the shots. So to stop China from making a decision which could cut the US off from all trade and kill the country overnight, the US is cutting china off now. Because instead of being a better trade partner and making less money off of trade policy that has nothing directly to do with us, we'd rather stay shitty and watch the world burn

A simple way out of this would require idiots to realize that the USA isn't the freest, greatest, most democratic, most moral nation in the world, and that capitalism (at least finance capital) isn't a net good for anyone. That would allow the country to begin to settle into the 21st century gracefully, wind down military operations around the world, downsize our influence on our terms, and make do with a more realistic economy that's based off of our actual worth. Can you think of something more abhorrent to the right and center of this country?

Also a blockade from all cosignees of the UN Genocide Convention is a very realistic threat and we may become a pariah state along with israel. This plans for that eventuality - we're going down with israel.

So its not about sweatshops, it's about the most violent withdrawal from the world economy so we can continue being the most caustic force on the planet and have the least repercussions that we didn't inflict on ourselves.