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They don't need to do anything militarily. Just keep up with Belt and Road and being a stable trade partner while the US has a trade war with everyone and start

by toast0 7mo ago

They don't need to do anything militarily. Just keep up with Belt and Road and being a stable trade partner while the US has a trade war with everyone and started an active war with Iran over nothing, and is threatening allies. Fill the vacuum the US left behind and see what happens when the US wants to put sanctions on China in the future.

defrost 7mo ago
Exactly, in the fall and aftermath of WWII the USofA Steven Bradbury'd it's way to No. #1 on the global pecking order. China, now, is ready to do as little as possible and free skate into that position by the same means.
seanmcdirmid 7mo ago
Ya, China will win by default, why do something stupid like Trump would? Make friends with the world, provide working affordable solutions to the high price of oil. Uhm, it’s like Trump is doing everything for China’s benefit.
- jurgenburgen 7mo ago
  Autocrats tend to do stupid things as they become out of touch due to the culture of sycophancy around them. It doesn’t help that Xi is old and doesn’t have infinite time to build his legacy. Did everyone already forget the extreme Covid lockdowns in China?
  - jcgl 7mo ago
    Is it some sort of well-known fact that Xi has some egotistical need to build some kind of strongman legacy? I’m no expert, but the China that he has built is one of extreme competence and long-term thinking. It’d seem contradictory to compromise that for some flashy but ultimately unhelpful actions.
  - seanmcdirmid 7mo ago
    Xi is much younger than Trump. China still has lots of problems, they are just doing a few key things right in terms of tech tree development, while the USA is basically swimming backwards.
AlecSchueler 7mo ago
I feel certain at this point that the Western obsession with China beginning to warmonger is just projection.
- toast0 7mo ago
  That's a fair observation. They do a fair amount of objectively warmongery stuff though. All the force measuring in the south china sea, needless escorts, etc. They do engage in border skirmishes and make claim to Taiwan.
  - AlecSchueler 7mo ago
    > All the force measuring in the south china sea, needless escorts, etc. These are totally normal though and it would be more surprising if they weren't carrying out military exercises at all. > They do engage in border skirmishes and make claim to Taiwan. Skirmishes seems like an exaggeration. Territory disputes are always quite normal and they haven't come close to an active takeover or invasion in almost 60 years. To describe anything they're doing as "active warmongering" seems farcical though. Where's the war??
    - whattheheckheck 7mo ago
      A man with a large bat is walking your house and youre like nah its totally normal
      - AlecSchueler 7mo ago
        Are there any military exercises which seem normal when you reduce them to metaphors on the individual level? My point is that China is not the only state carrying out these kinds of exercises. For thirty years now I've been hearing it's going to happen any day, this is the perfect moment, it's inevitable. Meanwhile the US has started multiple wars, and toppled a variety of regimes; France has toppled a regime; the UK and other allies assist in all of this. But the same countries say China is the warmongerer because the coast guard intercepted some boards at the border.

by toast0 7mo ago

defrost 7mo ago

Exactly, in the fall and aftermath of WWII the USofA Steven Bradbury'd it's way to No. #1 on the global pecking order. China, now, is ready to do as little as possible and free skate into that position by the same means.

seanmcdirmid 7mo ago

Ya, China will win by default, why do something stupid like Trump would? Make friends with the world, provide working affordable solutions to the high price of oil. Uhm, it’s like Trump is doing everything for China’s benefit.

jurgenburgen 7mo ago
Autocrats tend to do stupid things as they become out of touch due to the culture of sycophancy around them. It doesn’t help that Xi is old and doesn’t have infinite time to build his legacy. Did everyone already forget the extreme Covid lockdowns in China?
- jcgl 7mo ago
  Is it some sort of well-known fact that Xi has some egotistical need to build some kind of strongman legacy? I’m no expert, but the China that he has built is one of extreme competence and long-term thinking. It’d seem contradictory to compromise that for some flashy but ultimately unhelpful actions.
- seanmcdirmid 7mo ago
  Xi is much younger than Trump. China still has lots of problems, they are just doing a few key things right in terms of tech tree development, while the USA is basically swimming backwards.

AlecSchueler 7mo ago

I feel certain at this point that the Western obsession with China beginning to warmonger is just projection.

toast0 7mo ago
That's a fair observation. They do a fair amount of objectively warmongery stuff though. All the force measuring in the south china sea, needless escorts, etc. They do engage in border skirmishes and make claim to Taiwan.
- AlecSchueler 7mo ago
  > All the force measuring in the south china sea, needless escorts, etc. These are totally normal though and it would be more surprising if they weren't carrying out military exercises at all. > They do engage in border skirmishes and make claim to Taiwan. Skirmishes seems like an exaggeration. Territory disputes are always quite normal and they haven't come close to an active takeover or invasion in almost 60 years. To describe anything they're doing as "active warmongering" seems farcical though. Where's the war??
  - whattheheckheck 7mo ago
    A man with a large bat is walking your house and youre like nah its totally normal
    - AlecSchueler 7mo ago
      Are there any military exercises which seem normal when you reduce them to metaphors on the individual level? My point is that China is not the only state carrying out these kinds of exercises. For thirty years now I've been hearing it's going to happen any day, this is the perfect moment, it's inevitable. Meanwhile the US has started multiple wars, and toppled a variety of regimes; France has toppled a regime; the UK and other allies assist in all of this. But the same countries say China is the warmongerer because the coast guard intercepted some boards at the border.