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As a naturalized US citizen who was born in China but intends to raise a family as full-bore Americans, it's hard for me to assess the China threat. I believe
by jasonshen 4y ago
As a naturalized US citizen who was born in China but intends to raise a family as full-bore Americans, it's hard for me to assess the China threat.
I believe China very much wants to assert it's influence in the Asia Pacific + MENA region, but I just don't it trying to conquer the United States directly. It's never really had a history of imperialism like the West has (excluding the Mongol empire that collapsed almost immediately).
That said, a country doesn't need to directly conquer another to be a threat. Still, it's hard to know how serious the threat really is—the post is compelling but also assumes as a forgone conclusion that China has aggressor ambitions.
- caligarn 4y agoChina was never an imperial force like European colonists, but it always saw itself as the “Middle Kingdom” and the most important civilization on earth. It may be a different paradigm but the right to power or hegemony is still embedded in the culture and ethos.
- woooooo 4y agoIt's actually a healthy and non-threatening paradigm? If they think they're the best and have no reason to expand because of that, the only threat is to our egos.
- nyolfen 4y agomaybe you should tell that to the tibetans, uyghurs, taiwanese, etc.
- deleted 4y ago[deleted]
- woooooo 4y agoThat's it exactly. They don't tell us how we should treat native Americans or Cuba. But we have it baked in that we're the arbiter of what every country does globally, and a history of military action putatively justified by those moral concerns.
- nyolfen 4y agowe have a critical security interest in taiwan remaining independent -- zero moralizing needed. any empire, nation, group or individual human has some sin you can point to, china is not unique, and neither is the US. the US will lose the throne to china in the 21st c if it takes taiwan. there will always be a throne, the only question is who is in it.
- woooooo 4y agoThat critical interest is short term until we get the Arizona fabs up. Then it'll be back to standard levels of ideology, nationalism and domino theory. And if it's just about power for its own sake, fine. But the records of military adventurism are in fact starkly different over the last 200 years. Xi might ramp it up and we might ramp it down, but for now the spectre of Chinese militarism reminds me of those two hunter guys from South Park, "it's coming right at us!"
- frognumber 4y agoTribute. China always expected tribute from its neighbors. The benefits in return for tribute were often greater than the tribute, but it did show a high level of domination of its neighbors for most of its history.
- deleted 4y ago[deleted]
- jasmer 4y agoIt was - and still wishes to be 'Imperial' in it's direct sphere of influence, which is to say, most of E and S/E Asia. China is not ever going to invade the USA of course.
- XorNot 4y agoWhat do you think imperialism is other then "exert influence"?
- anshumankmr 4y agoAlso,China has invaded India and claims many Indian states as its own. Plus it invaded Vietnam (and lost)
- jjtheblunt 4y agoExtract taxes, i.e., the Roman version?
- china_lol_throw 4y ago[dead]
- random314 4y agoConsidering American aggression in Iraq and Latin America, China is a dove. However, it is true that China has been aggressively expanding borders into half of its neighboring countries. They are also extremely internally aggressive committing genocide against Uyghurs, Tibetans, Falun gong etc. A counter balance to the American threat is not a bad thing.
- nyokodo 4y ago> It's never really had a history of imperialism like the West has Vietnam, Tibet, Mongolia, and Xinjiang might beg to differ and that’s before considering that the leader of China was literally an emperor up until recently. However, if by “imperialism” you mean across oceans and hemispheres then point taken but that isn’t really a virtue as China has never had a navy capable of doing so. It still doesn’t although it sorely wants to. > the post… assumes as a forgone conclusion that China has aggressor ambitions. With the advent of wolf warrior diplomacy, the aggressive and illegal construction of military bases in disputed waters all over the South China Sea, the interference in US elections, the rampant IP theft along with constant attempts to steal military secrets, along with threats of total war whenever the US sneezes in the direction of Taiwan… what would you think?
- moris_borris 4y ago> wolf warrior diplomacy, the aggressive and illegal construction of military bases in disputed waters all over the South China Sea, the interference in US elections, the rampant IP theft along with constant attempts to steal military secrets, along with threats of total war whenever the US sneezes in the direction of Taiwan Dyed in the wool American here. All of these pale in comparison to the history of our my nation, which has been at war with much of the world for most of its existence. Rampant IP theft is nothing compared to the bombing of civilian infrastructure in Iraq (among other countries in the Middle East) during the 1990s and 2000s, the clusterfuck of atrocities that was the Vietnam War, to say nothing of our extensive support for dictators in Latin America throughout the 20th century. When it comes to interfering with elections (and indeed the results of them), we put China to shame. I love my country, but I can't pretend that our military industrial complex has been anything but a threat to countless other nations and will certainly continue to do so.
- bsder 4y agoThe longer Xi Jingping stays in power the less I worry about China on the international stage. The subleaders will need to do increasingly extreme things in order to show results to the Supreme Leader. That's starting to play out--the Apple shakedown, Chinese police stations in foreign countries, etc. Those things have finally gotten the Western powers to realize that China is a genuine enemy, and they are starting to retaliate. In addition, now that Russia has basically been dismantled, the defense system in America needs a new boogeyman. Congratulations, China, you're on deck.
- thoweiru3o43 4y ago> Russia has basically been dismantled Western press proving day-in day-out how primitive Pravda was.
- rdevsrex 4y agoOh my god that's so true. It's like they've invented hire order lying.
- RivieraKid 4y agoRussia hasn't been dismantled unfortunately. There's a good chance they end up with more territory.
- jasmer 4y agoRussia is definitely taken apart. They may be able to hold that bit of territory with suicidal bodies in trenches, but they are in really bad shape. They are down to ancient weapons, ancient tanks, their Navy almost entirely defunct. Most of their 'fast air' remains. And they are going to have a very difficult time rebuilding with sanctions, and the severe economic problems with talent and resources. They could 'come back' over a decade but I suggest Europe is becoming ready for that, and without the offer on the table of a nice, juicy, undefended territory, neither Putin nor his successors will have much luck. It's the ambiguity that's the problem.
- RivieraKid 4y agoThe threat is increasing influence across the world.
- cercatrova 4y agoI wonder how the world would be different had Zheng He sailed his junks east rather than west.