The Derpy Democratic Republic Of Herp wrote:Glorious Hong Kong wrote:
I hope so. The Trump Administration (read: Mike Pompeo) drastically recalibrated the United States' China policy. In some ways, the legacy of Trumpism lives on through Joe Biden to his credit. Let's hope the current administration builds on that legacy and continues to impress me vis a vis foreign policy.
God I hope not.
Trump fucked up with China hard. Really hard. All show, no actual effects.
You do know that China has been bypassing the Trump Tariffs by building most of the things it is ships to us in China and then build the rest of it in places like Vietnam?
Also the "Shitholes" comment by Trump gave China loads of soft power with Africa. They have also been building inroads in the EU and the UK post Brexit.
Your ability to blame just about everything on Trump is actually amazing. All the way from hurricanes and cold weather to what Mzwani in the village outside of Gitega, Burundi, thinks about America.
Trump is the first American President since the PRC-USA rapprochement to actually do *something* about the growing power of China. Previous American presidents from Nixon to Obama have either been outright supportive of its growth or sitting on their hands permissive. This most definitely includes Obama, who represented a minor cautious turn towards the PRC growth in his second term.
However, this was a famous speech by H Clinton in 2009:
"some believe that China on the rise is, by definition, an adversary - to the contrary, we believe that the United States and China can benefit from and contribute to each other's successes. It is in our interests to work harder to build on areas of common concern and shared opportunities"
This does not represent the views of an administration which is cautious about the growth of the PRC, rather, quite the opposite. Moreover, Obama was the first American President to visit PRC in his first year of office, and before traditional allies like South Korea, Poland, Australia and even Japan. The enthusiasm of the Obama administration towards the PRC in 2009-2011 might be attempted to be erased from history by desperate Democrats trying to prove their credentials as anti-genocide activists, but facts remain, Obama Term One was the most pro-China POTUS that ever got elected.
You do know that China has been bypassing the Trump Tariffs by building most of the things it is ships to us in China and then build the rest of it in places like Vietnam?
That is rather the fault of Congress in limiting Trump's ability to deline tariffs and actively fighting against them, rather than Trump lacking vision. He spent more time fighting Congress & Democrats than he spent working against China's rise. Blaming him for not working to limit China's power is rather disingenuous. Heavily disingenuous. Extremely disingenuous. Because Obama faced no obstacles when trying to befriend PRC.
Also the "Shitholes" comment by Trump gave China loads of soft power with Africa.
Yeah, no. Countries aren't run by Derpy. They don't get hurt by words.
African countries are very well aware how bombastic and harassing PRC is with their loan-colonisation system, which preceded both Trump's comments & Trump presidency. China was already setting up their first foreign naval base, in Djibouti, before Trump made such comments. The base was made on the backs of unpaid usurious loans, basically land annexation in return for loan forgiveness. American banks would never give countries like these the loans that they asked for, China did, knowing they would never be paid back, and added caveats which suited their geopolitical policy.
They have also been building inroads in the EU and the UK post Brexit.
They haven't. I don't even know where you got that from. The UK resorted to even banning Huawei from participating in her national 5G network, a move which prompted Chinese sanctions on Britain and British goods. China hasn't made much inroads in the EU except beating the EU down into admitting there's no genocide in China & human rights are okay & Tibet is Chinese, in return for the EU nicely being allowed to export their shit to the PRC.
The exception is the Czech Republic, something I mentioned on these forums about 2/3 years ago, but that's unique. The V4 is one of the weirdest geopolitical groups with the Czechs favouring Beijing over some sort of mutually weird Confucian/Czech long-term ethos, Hungary closer to Moscow (Putin*) than Brussels, and Poland willingly sucking American cock, as long as there's a Republican in power.
The greatest threat to the Western world succumbing to the rise of China is not Chinese power or organisation, but Western liberal democracy.