Abstract

From a historical materialist perspective, the evolution of U.S. trade control policies toward China has been driven by the pursuit of economic and geopolitical interests. However, beyond material considerations, these policies also intersect with deeper ethical, philosophical, and even theological questions regarding justice, sovereignty, and the moral dimensions of economic power. Trade restrictions, embargoes, and economic coercion raise profound issues of fairness, global responsibility, and the ethical implications of economic warfare, particularly in the context of international relations shaped by ideological and religious worldviews. Following World War II, the United States sought to consolidate global hegemony, using economic control as a key instrument in its Cold War strategy against the Soviet Union and socialist nations. Prior to the Korean War, U.S. policymakers attempted to manipulate trade relations to weaken Sino-Soviet ties, allowing limited trade between capitalist nations and China. However, after China’s involvement in the Korean War, the U.S. imposed increasingly stringent trade controls, culminating in a full embargo. This policy, while aimed at restricting China’s economic development, ultimately conflicted with America’s own ideological commitment to free trade and triggered dissent among allies such as Britain and Japan. The subsequent partial relaxation of trade controls under the Eisenhower administration in 1954 highlighted the contradictions between economic self-interest, Cold War ideology, and the ethical rhetoric of global economic liberalism. By framing these developments within a broader philosophical and religious discourse, this study explores the ethical dimensions of trade policy, drawing from Christian, Confucian, and Islamic perspectives on economic justice, fairness, and moral responsibility in global commerce. It argues that trade control policies should not be examined solely as instruments of power but also as moral choices that shape international justice, human welfare, and ethical economic governance. Future research should further investigate how religious and philosophical traditions inform perspectives on economic sanctions, trade ethics, and the moral responsibilities of nations in a rapidly evolving global order.