Media reports suggest that US shipbuilding output is merely 1/200th of China’s, allowing China to expand its navy at an astonishing rate. In fact, the total number of Chinese warships has already surpassed that of the US Navy. Now, Trump is advocating for regaining control of the Panama Canal and imposing higher transit fees on Chinese-built ships—an aggressive move that directly targets a critical vulnerability in China’s shipbuilding industry. While Trump’s approach seeks to revive American manufacturing through drastic measures, the real challenge lies in the prevailing mindset of Americans, who are generally reluctant to enter the manufacturing sector.