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>which is why they've played the long game in Africa so well, they get resources and build a market to sell manufactured goods to at the same time - it's been m

>which is why they've played the long game in Africa so well, they get resources and build a market to sell manufactured goods to at the same time - it's been masterful There are definitely two future bad possible outcomes for the US, and one nightmare future scenario for the US. One bad outcome scenario is that China and subsaharan Africa figure out that they're better off working in concert than working at odds with each other. (This seems to be happening.) The other bad outcome scenario is that the EU and subsaharan Afica figure out that they're better off working in concert than working at odds with each other. (This doesn't seem to be happening as far as I can tell?) The nightmare scenario is, of course, that China, the EU, and subsaharan Africa actually figure out that they don't really even need the rest of us.

uvaursi 1y ago
Given the size of China’s internal economy I think they already know, just on their own, that they don’t need anyone else and any agreements with other countries are just cherries on top, because you can take Europe and fill a Chinese village with it. This is not a prediction of the future.
- bilbo0s 1y ago
  you can take Europe and fill a Chinese village with it Pretty sure the EU is far bigger than you're thinking it is.
- judahmeek 1y ago
  China doesn't have a strong internal economy. They probably have a lot of saving that might be able to be translated into an internal economy, but they seem to have a cultural leaning towards frugalness: https://www.nytimes.com/2025/10/23/business/china-economy-consumer-spending.html https://www.nytimes.com/2025/10/23/business/china-economy-co... China has a massive energy & manufacturing base, which can easily translate into military power, but until they decide to transform into a war economy, they need trading partners to keep their citizens employed, which is already a struggle for their young adults who I guess don't want to work in factories.
  - bryanlarsen 1y ago
    That frugality is likely temporary. The Greatest Generation were frugal due to lessons learned during the Great Depression. That frugality was lost in a few decades. The corresponding event in China was the cultural revolution, but poverty lasted past that. It's been a few decades, and now the Chinese are famous for their love of luxury status products.
    - judahmeek 1y ago
      All that is true, but my point regarding China's lack of a strong internal economy right now still stands.

uvaursi 1y ago

Given the size of China’s internal economy I think they already know, just on their own, that they don’t need anyone else and any agreements with other countries are just cherries on top, because you can take Europe and fill a Chinese village with it. This is not a prediction of the future.

bilbo0s 1y ago
you can take Europe and fill a Chinese village with it Pretty sure the EU is far bigger than you're thinking it is.
judahmeek 1y ago
China doesn't have a strong internal economy. They probably have a lot of saving that might be able to be translated into an internal economy, but they seem to have a cultural leaning towards frugalness: https://www.nytimes.com/2025/10/23/business/china-economy-consumer-spending.html https://www.nytimes.com/2025/10/23/business/china-economy-co... China has a massive energy & manufacturing base, which can easily translate into military power, but until they decide to transform into a war economy, they need trading partners to keep their citizens employed, which is already a struggle for their young adults who I guess don't want to work in factories.
- bryanlarsen 1y ago
  That frugality is likely temporary. The Greatest Generation were frugal due to lessons learned during the Great Depression. That frugality was lost in a few decades. The corresponding event in China was the cultural revolution, but poverty lasted past that. It's been a few decades, and now the Chinese are famous for their love of luxury status products.
  - judahmeek 1y ago
    All that is true, but my point regarding China's lack of a strong internal economy right now still stands.