Over the weekend, Australian Trade and Tourism Minister Don Farrell traveled to the People’s Republic of China to address long-running tensions between the two countries. His trip should be setting off alarm bells in Washington. China is trying to drive a wedge between the United States and allies such as Australia by exploiting the U.S.’s self-inflicted economic weakness.

Make no mistake: American protectionism is sending potential friends and allies into the arms of the Chinese Communist Party. Through trade deals and infrastructure programs such as the Belt and Road Initiative , the CCP is executing a sophisticated strategy of economic expansionism around the world. But instead of countering these economic moves by strengthening the U.S.’s position as the world’s favored business partner, American policymakers have persisted in a hardheaded protectionism.

Free trade may not be popular among populist lawmakers on both the Right and Left, but it is an essential pillar of a strategy to contain the CCP. Moving Pacific countries away from their economic reliance on China would enable them to oppose Chinese President Xi Jinping’s aggression more effectively. Strong business ties to the West would also give Pacific countries an important incentive to remain a united front should conflict break out.

The original sin against this sound economic strategy was the unceremonious rejection of the Trans-Pacific Partnership. TPP was a trade deal signed by twelve Pacific Rim countries but never ratified. In the 2016 election, both the Democratic and Republican candidates expressed opposition to TPP. The parties both wanted to pose as champions of the working class, so neither paid heed to the geopolitical consequences of tearing up years of painstaking diplomatic work.

TPP was designed specifically to box China out of a dominant position in the Pacific economy. The PRC was never a signatory to the agreement, and if it had gone into effect, it would have pushed economic development in the region toward the U.S. and Japan. Unfortunately, though, consensus in Washington congealed around unilateral economic disarmament.

Bipartisan foolishness about trade persisted after TPP died in 2016, too. When it comes to trade, the present Democratic administration’s policies are virtually indistinguishable from the previous Republican’s. Though some tariffs on Europe were rolled back, many others remain in place. The current administration will host “ summits for democracy ” to draw a contrast with the last one, but there have been almost no efforts to extend that contrast to economic relations.

Protectionist intransigence is not only hurting American interests in Asia — it is also opening South America to the CCP’s malign influence. The U.S. should be pursuing strong economic ties with neighbors in its own hemisphere, but Washington seems unable to lay out a strategy for achieving that goal.

Chinese strategists understand American inaction is an opportunity they can exploit. Last week, for instance, Ecuador and China signed a trade agreement. Through economics, the CCP is succeeding in gaining a foothold in the U.S.'s backyard.

The best way to counter the CCP’s worldwide economic agenda is to embrace free trade. American diplomats should be negotiating an end to the barriers to commerce between the U.S. and its allies. Free trade is a simple, fair idea that benefits all parties involved. If American leaders prioritized it, they could spark a revolution in global economics that would leave the CCP’s predatory practices in the dust.

It is no real surprise, of course, that politicians on the Left and Right put short-term factional interests before the common good. But international relations are fast approaching a moment of real crisis. If there was ever a moment to set aside petty, partisan politics, it is now. Defeating China is more important than maintaining some kind of populist image.

The next decade will be a crucial period for deterring Chinese aggression. Only the blind cannot see the impending conflict. The U.S. needs to secure every strategic advantage it can before disaster strikes, and that starts with shoring up alliances with countries in a position to resist CCP imperialism. Free trade is one way to make a partnership with the U.S. attractive to countries with wobbly allegiances. Washington would be well advised to actually pursue it.

Michael Lucchese is the founder of Pipe Creek Consulting, a communications firm based in Washington, D.C. Previously, he was a communications aide to Sen. Ben Sasse. He graduated from Hillsdale College in 2018 and in 2017 was a Political Studies Fellow at the Hudson Institute. His writing has also appeared in  National Review , the  Washington Times , and several other publications.