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Before Hong Kong I would probably have agreed with you, but You're assuming a purely rational reasoning. For China, and Xi in particular, there is a big element
by lkramer 5y ago
Before Hong Kong I would probably have agreed with you, but You're assuming a purely rational reasoning. For China, and Xi in particular, there is a big element of national and personal pride at stake. It's for the same reason they have risked strangling Hong Kong in order to bring it more in line with the rest of China.
Xi (more so than his predecessors) is quite happy to take a short term loss for (what he sees) as a long term gain. In addition, he would love to be remembered in history as the man he reunified China.
- michaelt 5y agoFurthermore, Hong Kong and Crimea show that western powers aren't spoiling for a fight - especially if you can present them with a fait accompli.
- maybelsyrup 5y agoAgreed. This is what an obsessive focus on "facts and logic" at the expense of a similar focus on emotion, instinct, and subjectivity gets you. People have values that often contradict rationality, and in too many cases they're ready to kill and die for them.
- GREYWATER 5y agolkramer says: "Xi (more so than his predecessors) is quite happy to take a short term loss for (what he sees) as a long term gain. In addition, he would love to be remembered in history as the man he reunified China." And Xi is mortal. Once his generation die off (they are old), China may lose it's lust for Taiwan. BTW Covid most likely would have killed many of CCP's elders unless they had a vaccine or a preventative drug before Covid was released. How much of the CCP ruling bureaucracy died off during the Covid pandemic? If none, it would support the argument that Covid was an intentional release. Has anyone surveyed which CCP members did/did not survive Covid?