China's risky industrial gamble might end the way of the Soviet Union

Open this photo in gallery: Chinese President Xi Jinping applauds at a ceremony of signing bilateral documents during a meeting with Russian President Vladimir Putin (not pictured) at the Great Hall of the People in Beijing on May 16.Sergei Guneev/Reuters John Rapley is an author and academic who divides his time among London, Johannesburg and Ottawa. His books include Why Empires Fall (Yale University Press, 2023) and Twilight of the Money Gods (Simon and Schuster, 2017). Joe Biden's imposition of steep tariffs on imports of Chinese electric vehicles may look like the latest salvo in a trade war between the…