经济学界与政策制定者对于应对方式存在明显分歧：一派主张人民币被严重低估，必须透过汇率升值来直接缩减贸易失衡；另一派经济学家则认为仅推动汇率调整会引发冲突且治标不治本，必须解决压抑中国国内消费与制造业产能过剩等根本结构性缺陷。此外，中国领导阶层的政策偏好显示其对外国要求转向消费主导型经济的呼吁并不感兴趣。
然而，当前强行迫使中国再平衡可能引发意想不到的宏观风险，因为中国目前扮演著吸收全球需求的「海绵」并提供充沛的制造产能；若其顺差迅速缩减，外流的购买力将在面临通膨压力的世界中追逐稀缺商品，同时推升利率与压低他国资产价格。因此，面对全球经济失衡，美国等高负债消费国也应透过紧缩财政、提升效率等措施进行自我调整，而非将所有矛头单方面指向中国。
The world is experiencing 'China Shock 2.0,' marked by a massive resurgence in China's trade surplus, which reached approximately $1.2 trillion in 2025—roughly 1% of global GDP. This surge is primarily driven by stagnant domestic demand following the collapse of the real estate market, state-backed pushes toward manufacturing self-sufficiency, and a significantly weakened yuan, sending an influx of competitive, sophisticated manufactured goods across international markets.
Economists and policymakers remain sharply divided on the appropriate response: some argue that the yuan is heavily undervalued and that currency revaluation is essential to curbing the imbalance, while others contend that demanding exchange-rate shifts invites conflict without resolving underlying structural issues such as weak household consumption and industrial overcapacity, especially given Beijing's revealed policy preferences.
Prematurely forcing China to rebalance carries severe macroeconomic risks, as China currently functions as a demand sponge and a supplier of cheap global manufacturing capacity; unwinding this dynamic could push purchasing power back into an already inflation-prone world, raising interest rates and devaluing global assets. Consequently, addressing global imbalances also demands fiscal discipline and domestic adjustments from major deficit nations like the United States, rather than focusing solely on confronting China.