Consider the Possibility That Trump Is Right About China

[AUFAN78 4,060]

And yet even as the current emergency has proved him right in fundamental ways—about China specifically and foreign policy more generally—many respectable people in the United States are letting their disdain for the president blind them to what is really going on in the world. Far from discrediting Trump’s point of view, the COVID-19 crisis reveals what his strategy asserted: that the world is a competitive arena in which great power rivals like China seek advantage, that the state remains the irreplaceable agent of international power and effective action, that international institutions have limited capacity to transform the behavior and preferences of states.

https://www.theatlantic.com/ideas/archive/2020/04/consider-possibility-trump-right-china/609493/

[homersapien 11,812]

Trump has done more to weaken the United States position in the world than anything China has done to us.

It will take us decades to recover.

[IronMan70 3,315]

Trump IS right about China. He has been right about China all along.

[Grumps 3,706]

On 4/6/2020 at 9:11 AM, homersapien said:

Trump has done more to weaken the United States position in the world than anything China has done to us.

It will take us decades to recover.

Could you elaborate on that?

[bigbird 60,701]

25 minutes ago, Grumps said:

Could you elaborate on that?

Not until vox releases another opinion piece...

😁

[ToraGirl 5,498]

1 hour ago, IronMan70 said:

Trump IS right about China. He has been right about China all along.

 

[autigeremt 6,970]

On 4/6/2020 at 9:11 AM, homersapien said:

Trump has done more to weaken the United States position in the world than anything China has done to us.

It will take us decades to recover.

BS! And I can’t stand trump. 

[homersapien 11,812]

20 hours ago, IronMan70 said:

Trump IS right about China. He has been right about China all along.

What exactly is he "right" about?

Trump’s new ad attacking Biden on China is a complete and utter mess

The big headline from a new Trump campaign ad is that it features an image suggesting that Gary Locke, former Washington governor and U.S. ambassador to China, is a member of the Chinese Communist Party. The image flashes for only a moment, but the suggestion is clear: Joe Biden is bowing deferentially to a person of Asian descent standing in front of Chinese flags. Except that the person of Asian descent is actually an American.

But that’s hardly the only way in which the ad obscures and misleads. It is a veritable smorgasbord of revisionism. It attacks Biden for saying things about China that are extremely similar to what Trump himself has said. It also takes Biden’s comments about travel bans way out of context to cast him as opposing Trump’s coronavirus-related restrictions on China.

Let’s walk through it.

“Biden Opposed China Coronavirus Travel Restrictions,” reads a highlighted headline early in the ad, as it plays a clip of Biden citing Trump’s “hysterical xenophobia."

Except that headline didn’t come from a news source; it came from a video the Trump campaign itself posted to Twitter.

And there’s a reason for that: Reputable news outlets haven’t reported that Biden opposed the travel restrictions. As fact-checkers have said, Biden’s comments about “hysterical xenophobia” actually made no reference to the China travel restrictions. At no point has Biden said he opposed the restrictions.

The ad returns to this point later, playing a clip of Biden saying, “Banning all travel will not stop it” — referring to the virus. Except it misleadingly edits out the middle of Biden’s quote, without providing any indication it had done so.

The full quote from Biden’s March 12 coronavirus speech is, “Banning all travel from Europe, or any other part of the world, may slow it, but as we have seen, it will not stop it.” In other words, Biden was actually acknowledging travel restrictions can be effective, and he again was not opposing the ones specific to China.

In fact, Biden seemed to be referencing Trump’s controversial decision to ban travel from certain parts of Europe but not others. Biden went on to say, “And travel restrictions based on favoritism and politics — rather than risk — will be counterproductive.”

And lastly is the attempt to paint Biden as some kind of China apologist.

“Biden protected China’s feelings,” reads the screen early.

“Biden stands up for China,” it says at another point.

“They’re not bad folks, folks,” Biden says in one clip.

“It is in our self-interest that China continue to prosper,” he says in another.

“What a beautiful history we wrote together,” he says in yet another, followed by a clip of him clinking glasses with Chinese President Xi Jinping.

Except just about everything Biden says about China in the ad echoes what Trump himself has said — and many times over.

Biden is quoted in the ad saying, “They’re not bad folks, folks.” Here’s what Trump has said:

• September 2017: “They’re very smart, and they’re good people.”
• May 9, 2019: “They’re good people. And I like the president a lot; he’s a friend of mine.”
• Nov. 22, 2019: “I’m also standing with President Xi. He’s a friend of mine. He’s an incredible guy.”
• Jan. 15, 2020: “I want to thank President Xi — a very, very good friend of mine.”
• On Tuesday, just this week: “I like China. The Chinese people are phenomenal people.”

Biden is quoted in the ad saying, “It is in our self-interest that China continue to prosper." Here’s what Trump has said:

• October 2018: “And, by the way, I want China to do well.”
• June 10, 2019: “I want China to do well; I don’t want them to do as well as us.”
• Sept. 9, 2019: “I want China to do well, and I hope they do well.”
• Jan. 15, 2020: “So let today be the beginning of a brighter future, more prosperous for the American people, the Chinese people, and the world.”

Biden is quoted in the ad saying, “What a beautiful history we wrote together.” Here’s what Trump has said:

• Jan. 15, 2020: “Keeping these two giant and powerful nations together in harmony is so important for the world — not only for us, for the whole word.”
• Jan. 15, 2020: “As we move on to phase two [of a trade deal], I look forward to continuing to forge a future of greater harmony, prosperity, and, really, commerce and far beyond commerce, between the United States and China.”
• Jan. 22, 2020: “One of the many great things about our just signed giant Trade Deal with China is that it will bring both the USA & China closer together in so many other ways.”

It’s true that Trump has been tough on China in a very significant way, by launching a trade war. But Biden’s crime here appears to have been saying diplomatic things as a vice president — things similar to what Trump himself has said repeatedly. Combine that with the misleading and secretly edited use of his quotes and mistaking an American for a Chinese official, and it’s a mess.

It’s also undoubtedly a sign of things to come.

https://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/2020/04/10/trumps-new-ad-attacking-biden-china-is-complete-utter-mess/

[homersapien 11,812]

On 4/9/2020 at 4:21 PM, Grumps said:

Could you elaborate on that?

Thanks for asking. 

Just off the top of my head:

• Trump has weakened many of our traditional European alliances that have formed the basis of the post WWII "new world order".
• He has abrogated responsibility for championing democracy in the world, to the extent of embracing authoritarian governments and brutal dictatorships, like Saudi Arabia. 
• In fact, he is actively undermining our own democracy with aggressive efforts to suppress voting - a terrible example to set before the world.  We have traditionally been the very image and symbol of democracy.  Trump has eroded - and continues to erode our position as the ideal for democracy in the eyes of the world. 
• His constant vilification of the press ("Fake News") sends a terrible antidemocratic message to the rest of the world, one which other authoritarian leaders have picked up on specifically. (see Jamal Kashoggi)
• Similarly, he has promoted corruption in our own government (see recent actions on eliminating government oversight as we are about to pump over 3 trillion into our economy. This is another case of eroding our reputation leadership in the world for having good government by example.
• He has weakened our economic position by opposing Free Trade agreements, such as the TPP.  (Read https://www.washingtonpost.com/opinions/global-opinions/joe-bidens-quarantine-reading-assignment/2020/04/09/baab01d8-7a8b-11ea-a130-df573469f094_story.html)
• He dismisses the reality of AGW - our next really big crisis - and withdrew from international efforts - such as the Paris Accords.  This is a total abrogation from U.S. leadership in dealing with a problem that we had a primary role in creating in the first place.
• He has weakened the State Department and U.S. Intelligence organizations which is crippling our ability to exert "soft power", a concept he fails to understand in the first place.

 

Many others have made similar observations in articles and books:

 

Global Poll Shows U.S. Prestige Plummeting Under Trump

https://nymag.com/intelligencer/2018/01/global-poll-shows-u-s-prestige-plummeting-under-trump.html

 

The decline of U.S. influence is the great global story of our age

https://www.washingtonpost.com/opinions/global-opinions/the-decline-of-us-influence-is-the-great-global-story-of-our-times/2017/12/28/bfe48262-ebf6-11e7-9f92-10a2203f6c8d_story.html

 

U.S. Image Suffers as Publics Around World Question Trump’s Leadership

https://www.pewresearch.org/global/2017/06/26/u-s-image-suffers-as-publics-around-world-question-trumps-leadership/

 

Campaign’s bitter barbs are costing US global prestige

https://www.bostonglobe.com/news/nation/2016/11/05/bitter-barbs-campaign-are-costing-its-global-prestige/DLAEpbzs2RcUPpKfZo2k4J/story.html

 

 

American Soft Power in the Age of Trump

https://www.uscpublicdiplomacy.org/blog/american-soft-power-age-trump

 

America’s Road to Reputational Ruin

https://foreignpolicy.com/2019/07/17/americas-road-to-reputational-ruin-donald-trump-moon-landing-anniversary-soft-power/

 

No, President Trump: You’ve Weakened America’s Soft Power

https://www.nytimes.com/2020/02/25/opinion/trump-soft-power.html

 

The Corrosion of World Order in the Age of Donald Trump

https://www.cfr.org/blog/corrosion-world-order-age-donald-trump

 

I could go on.

 

[homersapien 11,812]

19 hours ago, autigeremt said:

BS! And I can’t stand trump. 

No, not BS.

China is obviously competing with the United States but they have not done as much damage to U.S. soft power in the world as Trump has.

Here's an interesting article that discusses our evolving relationship with China and the appropriate way to manage it.

 

A Quest for Joint Prestige: Rethinking the US-China Rivalry

https://www.globalasia.org/v13no3/feature/a-quest-for-joint-prestige-rethinking-the-us-china-rivalry_kai-he-huiyun-feng

 

[I_M4_AU 8,600]

Why China is rooting for Biden:

Nowadays, Biden might call his old friend Xi a “thug” and yelp about Xinjiang and Hong Kong. But the Communist Party has long endured sanctimonious liberals. Listening to their ­harangues is a small price for a relationship that brings such prosperity and strength.

Americans are now woke to these realities. In today’s climate, a full return to the pre-Trump China consensus may not be possible, even for Biden. But the predictability of Biden would be a blessing to Beijing, as opposed to Trump or Sanders.

The two populists understand what China does. Meanwhile, just last summer, Biden said of the Chinese regime: “They’re not bad folks. … They’re not competition for us.”

Communist Party members may not be “bad folks,” but they are realists who prioritize their own national interest.

That means subverting their main geopolitical rival — and Biden has consistently supported this goal. Strong drink and strong hangovers may ­excuse Hunter’s Beijing hijinks, but his father is beholden to a delusional globalist ideology of mutual benefit that has wrought tremendous damage to our nation. Call him Beijing Biden.

https://nypost.com/2020/03/12/why-china-is-rooting-for-joe-biden-to-win-2020-presidential-race/

[IronMan70 3,315]

On ‎4‎/‎9‎/‎2020 at 4:11 PM, IronMan70 said:

Trump IS right about China. He has been right about China all along.

 

On ‎4‎/‎9‎/‎2020 at 5:37 PM, ToraGirl said:

 

As they say in Hong Kong...........CHINA ASSHOE.

[I_M4_AU 8,600]

It is a cold day in April (it was 47 this morning in NC) when I agree with Bill Maher, but

He, of course, does not give Trump any credit, but Trump was on this way before any of us.  Biden says there are nothing to worry about concerning China.

ETA:  I also agree with what he says about the PC *woke* crowd. It’s time to get over yourselves. 

[autigeremt 6,970]

China withheld information and lied about the human to human transmission of Covid19 (they claimed animal to human) by a lab worker in a virology lab in Wuhan. THEY created the pandemic! 

[homersapien 11,812]

https://www.politico.com/news/magazine/2020/04/15/its-not-just-the-who-how-china-is-moving-on-the-whole-un-189029

It’s Not Just the WHO: How China Is Moving on the Whole U.N.

Despite his saber-rattling, Trump’s pullback actually helps Beijing in its new, inside-baseball strategy to build influence.

 

 

".....In part this dominance of Chinese nationals in key U.N. agencies reflects Beijing’s savvy diplomatic maneuvering as a rising power, and its position as the world’s second-largest economy.

But it’s also possible because of a void left by the United States, which under Trump has repudiated its previous leadership role in international organizations. As Beijing tries to retool the U.N. and other international institutions to its advantage, it is leaving in its wake a global system that has been knocked off balance by the absence of the steadying leadership of the United States. Even amid a global pandemic, Washington continues to send equivocal signals about its commitment to multilateralism.

In this context, Trump’s decision to defund WHO isn’t just petty or reactive—it literally plays into China’s hands. If the U.S. downgrades its participation in the WHO and other U.N. organizations, it will cede even more ground, and influence, to the Chinese—which is what they want.

So Americans who are now blaming the WHO for failing to do a better job against Covid-19 have an important question to answer—if you want international organizations to perform to U.S. standards and reflect U.S. values, how much global leadership are you ready to take back on? ....."

[creed 1,728]

3 hours ago, homersapien said:

https://www.politico.com/news/magazine/2020/04/15/its-not-just-the-who-how-china-is-moving-on-the-whole-un-189029

It’s Not Just the WHO: How China Is Moving on the Whole U.N.

Despite his saber-rattling, Trump’s pullback actually helps Beijing in its new, inside-baseball strategy to build influence.

 

 

".....In part this dominance of Chinese nationals in key U.N. agencies reflects Beijing’s savvy diplomatic maneuvering as a rising power, and its position as the world’s second-largest economy.

But it’s also possible because of a void left by the United States, which under Trump has repudiated its previous leadership role in international organizations. As Beijing tries to retool the U.N. and other international institutions to its advantage, it is leaving in its wake a global system that has been knocked off balance by the absence of the steadying leadership of the United States. Even amid a global pandemic, Washington continues to send equivocal signals about its commitment to multilateralism.

In this context, Trump’s decision to defund WHO isn’t just petty or reactive—it literally plays into China’s hands. If the U.S. downgrades its participation in the WHO and other U.N. organizations, it will cede even more ground, and influence, to the Chinese—which is what they want.

So Americans who are now blaming the WHO for failing to do a better job against Covid-19 have an important question to answer—if you want international organizations to perform to U.S. standards and reflect U.S. values, how much global leadership are you ready to take back on? ....."

We're not even in the top 30 for health care standards by country. With that, I would look at a country in the top 10 to see what they think about the WHO. Italy is #2. Wonder what their opinion would be?

[creed 1,728]

14 hours ago, creed said:

We're not even in the top 30 for health care standards by country. With that, I would look at a country in the top 10 to see what they think about the WHO. Italy is #2. Wonder what their opinion would be?

China is @ 150 in health care standards. They shouldn't even have a seat at the WHO leadership table. Is the subliminal message in this article suggesting China is buying their way into the WHO. If so, what are we to think of an organization, the WHO, for selling such influence? Maybe that's why Trump is pulling funding because the WHO is being influenced by health care idiots...China.

[Gowebb11 9,607]

On 4/10/2020 at 1:32 PM, homersapien said:

I could go on

Please do. I don't think you’ve been clear enough or posted enough book size articles and links to express your real feelings about Trump. 😅

[Grumps 3,706]

On 4/10/2020 at 12:32 PM, homersapien said:

Thanks for asking. 

Just off the top of my head:

• Trump has weakened many of our traditional European alliances that have formed the basis of the post WWII "new world order".
• This is very subjective. Many said the same about Obama. You may be right but we should examine how much benefit we get from our alliances vs. how much it costs us.
• He has abrogated responsibility for championing democracy in the world, to the extent of embracing authoritarian governments and brutal dictatorships, like Saudi Arabia.
• I don't think it is a bad thing that Trump meets with the leaders of authoritarian governments or with dictators. I am not sure that is a failure to champion democracy. Is what he is doing much different from showing favoritism to the leaders of Cuba and Venezuela?
• In fact, he is actively undermining our own democracy with aggressive efforts to suppress voting - a terrible example to set before the world.  We have traditionally been the very image and symbol of democracy.  Trump has eroded - and continues to erode our position as the ideal for democracy in the eyes of the world. 
• I completely disagree with you on this one. I don't think he is trying to suppress voting.
• His constant vilification of the press ("Fake News") sends a terrible antidemocratic message to the rest of the world, one which other authoritarian leaders have picked up on specifically. (see Jamal Kashoggi)
• Vilifying the press does send an antidemocratic message. But what if the press is making stuff up? Should the leaders let the press manipulate the public without comment so that the country presents the image of a unified democracy?
• Similarly, he has promoted corruption in our own government (see recent actions on eliminating government oversight as we are about to pump over 3 trillion into our economy. This is another case of eroding our reputation leadership in the world for having good government by example.
• I don't believe that is true. Just because the person who was in charge of oversight was removed does not mean they will not be replaced. I think that the Trump administration is corrupt, but not any more than previous administrations.
• He has weakened our economic position by opposing Free Trade agreements, such as the TPP.  (Read https://www.washingtonpost.com/opinions/global-opinions/joe-bidens-quarantine-reading-assignment/2020/04/09/baab01d8-7a8b-11ea-a130-df573469f094_story.html)
• Completely subjective. Others would argue that avoiding bad trade agreements is a good thing.
• He dismisses the reality of AGW - our next really big crisis - and withdrew from international efforts - such as the Paris Accords.  This is a total abrogation from U.S. leadership in dealing with a problem that we had a primary role in creating in the first place.
• I completely disagree with you on this one. He sees the cost-benefit analysis different from progressives. Choosing to use gas/oil when there still is not a viable option could be argued as a good decision and not a world-ending decision. I think that virtually everyone wants to eliminate pollution and minimize our effect on climate change. The economic impact of the green new deal or similar does matter. Trumps just sees it different from AOC.
• He has weakened the State Department and U.S. Intelligence organizations which is crippling our ability to exert "soft power", a concept he fails to understand in the first place.
• I would argue that after the weaponization of these agencies by the Obama administration to specifically target Trump and some of his people during a campaign and the intentional leaks of information from these agencies in order to hurt him signify that the organizations NEED to be strengthened.

 

 

 

Thanks for replying and sorry for my slow response.

[homersapien 11,812]

1 hour ago, Grumps said:

Thanks for replying and sorry for my slow response.

I could rebut every one of those responses in detail, but why bother?

[homersapien 11,812]

5 hours ago, Gowebb11 said:

Please do. I don't think you’ve been clear enough or posted enough book size articles and links to express your real feelings about Trump. 😅

Well, if you can't maintain your attention or interest, stick to Twitter.

And this was not a link or article.  I wrote it.

[homersapien 11,812]

7 hours ago, creed said:

China is @ 150 in health care standards. They shouldn't even have a seat at the WHO leadership table. Is the subliminal message in this article suggesting China is buying their way into the WHO. If so, what are we to think of an organization, the WHO, for selling such influence? Maybe that's why Trump is pulling funding because the WHO is being influenced by health care idiots...China.

Actually, China is moving to replace the U.S. role in providing global leadership.  Trump's withdrawing from that role - in this particular case by defunding the WHO - fits right in with their strategy:

https://foreignpolicyblogs.com/2019/02/01/taking-the-long-route-chinas-path-to-global-leadership/

Taking the long route: China’s path to global leadership

Under the leadership of President Donald J. Trump, the United States of America is progressively distancing from its global leadership role. President Trump is clear that he wants American dollars spent on American people. In line with this ethos, America has withdrawn from major treaties to focus on getting its own house in order – detaching from the American culture of supposed altruism. President Trump has vowed to put an end to the long-standing American tradition of being a magnanimous donor to the many countries that take from the US, without giving anything in return. Such an inward-looking stance, however, has created a vacancy for a global leader in the international community.

Topping the list of shortlisted candidates is China, which boasts the second largest economy in the world and supplied nearly one-third of global growth in 2017. The Chinese government plans to utilise the world’s largest population to experiment with technology, and is hoping to surpass all Western nations in terms of implementing Artificial Intelligence. The Communist Party’s censorship of western internet companies has lead to a rise of Chinese tech giants, which is beginning to shape the future of global tech. The post for global leadership in the modern age will require innovation and the ability to  keep up with digital advancements – a challenge that the Chinese are taking very seriously.

On the military front, The People’s Republic has one of the highest military expenditures in the world – though it does fall considerably behind US spending, it signals Chinese ambition to compete with rival powers. According to a report by the Defence Intelligence Agency, China is at the front-line on a range of military technologies which will allow China to impose its will in the region. This can threaten the international order, and with a reluctant USA – it can further strengthen China’s regional, and even global influence.  

To curb China’s economic influence, America is pursuing a more protectionist stance; with a view to counteract the trade deficit of $29 billion that exists between the two countries. It is thought that through taxing Chine imports, local American products will appear more attractive to American customers and will boost the American economy. All the while China pursues an outward-looking approach to cement its global trade plans. President Xi is shaping the world’s largest infrastructure project, the $900 billion Belt and Road Initiative (BRI) is a tremendously ambitious plan which will solidify China’s presence in the world for centuries to come. The BRI will open new markets for Chinese goods and technology and connect Asia with Africa and Europe, through investment in roads, ports, airport, railways and sea routes.

 

Taking the long route: China’s path to global leadership

East Asia

by Ali Hussain  |  on February 1st, 2019  |  0 Comments

Under the leadership of President Donald J. Trump, the United States of America is progressively distancing from its global leadership role. President Trump is clear that he wants American dollars spent on American people. In line with this ethos, America has withdrawn from major treaties to focus on getting its own house in order – detaching from the American culture of supposed altruism. President Trump has vowed to put an end to the long-standing American tradition of being a magnanimous donor to the many countries that take from the US, without giving anything in return. Such an inward-looking stance, however, has created a vacancy for a global leader in the international community.

 

 

Topping the list of shortlisted candidates is China, which boasts the second largest economy in the world and supplied nearly one-third of global growth in 2017. The Chinese government plans to utilise the world’s largest population to experiment with technology, and is hoping to surpass all Western nations in terms of implementing Artificial Intelligence. The Communist Party’s censorship of western internet companies has lead to a rise of Chinese tech giants, which is beginning to shape the future of global tech. The post for global leadership in the modern age will require innovation and the ability to  keep up with digital advancements – a challenge that the Chinese are taking very seriously.

On the military front, The People’s Republic has one of the highest military expenditures in the world – though it does fall considerably behind US spending, it signals Chinese ambition to compete with rival powers. According to a report by the Defence Intelligence Agency, China is at the front-line on a range of military technologies which will allow China to impose its will in the region. This can threaten the international order, and with a reluctant USA – it can further strengthen China’s regional, and even global influence.  

To curb China’s economic influence, America is pursuing a more protectionist stance; with a view to counteract the trade deficit of $29 billion that exists between the two countries. It is thought that through taxing Chine imports, local American products will appear more attractive to American customers and will boost the American economy. All the while China pursues an outward-looking approach to cement its global trade plans. President Xi is shaping the world’s largest infrastructure project, the $900 billion Belt and Road Initiative (BRI) is a tremendously ambitious plan which will solidify China’s presence in the world for centuries to come. The BRI will open new markets for Chinese goods and technology and connect Asia with Africa and Europe, through investment in roads, ports, airport, railways and sea routes.

 

 

 

 

The BRI, which counts for 1/3 of world trade and GDP and over 60% of the world’s population, will solidify China’s role as a trans-continental leader. Some parallels may be made to the Marshall Plan of 1948 by the US government, which was created to reconstruct Western Europe following World War II. In some ways, the BRI can be used as a geopolitical tool to unify partner states against the USA – in a similar way that the Marshall Plan evolved to contain the communist USSR, China can use the BRI to contain America’s global economic influence.

 

 

The US can act in several ways to counteract China’s growing regional influence. America can (1) create opposition to partner states (2) strengthen US economic engagement in the region and (3) encourage US allies to avoid participation. However, this may do little to deter China’s global plans, as the BRI is marketed to countries in dire need of infrastructural development – such as Pakistan, Bangladesh and Kenya, to name but a few of the 65 countries involved – as an internal development programme and a win-win for both China and participating countries. 

However, Biejing’s geopolitical strategy has not been as munificent in the surrounding region – and this strategic gamesmanship may seep into the execution of the BRI too. The Chinese President Xi Jingpin, who is ranked the World’s most powerful person proclaimed that ‘China will never pursue hegemony, expansion or sphere of influence. Chinese foreign policy, however, suggests otherwise. The Chinese administration has expanded military operations in the deeply contested South China Sea, through militarising artificial islands through which more than $5 trillion of trade passes every year. Such efforts aim to quash neighbouring Taiwan, Vietnam, Philippines, Malaysia and Indonesia; all of whom  claim islands and various zones in the South China Sea.

The Malaca Strait proves to be another diversion in the route to Chinese global leadership, that the BRI will seek to address. The Malaca Strait carries an estimated 25 to 40 percent of all trade each year and links major Asian economies; through facilitating the trade of oil, natural resources and various manufactured products. The strait, however, is a maritime choke-point and is prone to piracy and hijacking – which represents great apprehension for China,  as it relies on the strait for 70-85 percent of its imported oil supply.  To overcome the ‘Malacca Dilemma’ China will rely on the BRI to channel different sources for energy. Thus, China is creating new import routes like the Gwadar Port, which is being developed in Pakistan under the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor – providing an alternative shipping route to the Malacca Strait.

As well as which, China is bolstering trade in other continents to display itself as the number one ally for countries to trade with. Almost a decade ago, China overtook the United States to become Africa’s biggest trading partner and has since been ramping up efforts to modernise many countries in Africa. Through the Forum on China-Africa Cooperation, President Xi announced $60 billion of funding in different forms, including interest-free loans and grants. China’s history in battling poverty is awe-inspiring and likely a significant factor as to why 53 African leaders attended the summit promoting Sino-African relations. Domestically, China has axed the extreme-poverty rate from 84% in 1980 to 10% now and African countries would hope Chinese  guidance would replicate such success in Africa – as according to World Bank data out of the 34 poorest countries in the world, 28 are African countries.

                  As Washington retreats and withdraws, Beijing reaches out and embraces.

 

 

This growing economic influence though is a great cause of concern for the US, as according to the Greek historian Thucydides, there is an inevitability that war will outbreak between a growing and established power; due to their diametrically opposing interests. This rationale was coined by political scientist Graham Allison as the ‘Thucydides Trap’ based on the idea that a rising power (in this case China) is rivalling a ruling power (the USA) which could disturb the international order and trigger conflict. President Xi has claimed, however, that China lacks the genes to engage in such destructive behaviour.

Whether China genetically modifies its DNA to pursue a more aggressive stance – adding further hostility to the Sino-American relationship – is yet to be seen. It is evident though, that President Xi is consolidating China’s place in the international community for centuries to come – whereas President Trump is looking no further than his own administration. As Washington retreats and withdraws, Beijing reaches out and embraces. China is not seeking to disturb the international order – but to reinvent it. And in doing so, the long route may just lead to a greater destination: Chinese global leadership. 

 

 

[I_M4_AU 8,600]

I see that this article was written on February 1st of this year.  How do you thing China’s world leadership has changed since then?  I would think they have taken a huge step back, but that is just speculation, right?

In one article Tugendhat said: “Now, more than ever, Britain needs to consider its relationship with China, our hunger for its goods and investment. Do we want to import China’s authoritarian value system as well as its products? Or should we work with other free nations and reduce our growing dependence on this dictatorship?”

https://www.neweurope.eu/article/uk-to-review-relationship-with-china/

[creed 1,728]

1 hour ago, homersapien said:

Actually, China is moving to replace the U.S. role in providing global leadership.  Trump's withdrawing from that role - in this particular case by defunding the WHO - fits right in with their strategy:

Defunding or paying our fare share? And why should China even be considered for leadership in the WHO when they are not even in the top 100 countries from the WHO's health care ratings? Just because the Beverly Hillbillies of the world have some recently acquired wealth doesn't mean they have the "real" ability to lead.

[homersapien 11,812]

1 hour ago, I_M4_AU said:

I see that this article was written on February 1st of this year.  How do you thing China’s world leadership has changed since then?  I would think they have taken a huge step back, but that is just speculation, right?

In one article Tugendhat said: “Now, more than ever, Britain needs to consider its relationship with China, our hunger for its goods and investment. Do we want to import China’s authoritarian value system as well as its products? Or should we work with other free nations and reduce our growing dependence on this dictatorship?”

https://www.neweurope.eu/article/uk-to-review-relationship-with-china/

The article was to reveal China's long term plan.

I think the coronavirus pandemic has hurt this plan. But eventually, this will end and in China, long term plans are exactly that, long term.

Trump's adversity to multi-lateralism and supporting global organizations facilitates China's strategies. 

It is something our next POTUS will have to start reversing immediately,  along with the myriad other misguided policies Trump has instituted due to his ignorance, such as environmental protection.