Exactly, the west is far more dependent on China than the other way around. That said, there’s a good passage from This Soviet World about the way USSR was trying to navigate things after the revolution, and I feel like it might be the rationale behind what China is doing right now as well:
It is a pretty good strategy to smile and shake hands while the other guy is flailing his arms and screaming at you for being evil while actually committing genocide. But at the same time, the USSR was very involved with trying to establish world communism. I’m hoping China’s strategy pays off.
I think one thing we learned from USSR approach is that world communism cannot be established as long as capitalism is the dominant power. Chinese approach seems to be to undermine the hegemon, and then let the countries develop in their own way. It’s not as ambitious, but it’s it’s less polarizing and it’s a case of leading by example. The stronger China gets the more discredited the whole capitalist system becomes as a result.
What do you mean not ambitious? What China is doing is literally the most ambitious thing man kind has ever seen. China wants to give all countries the right to decide for themselves. China has stated multiple times that they will never interfere with a sovereign nation’s right to decide what is right form their own nation. That means whatever a nation’s internal will is, that’s what decisions that country will get to make. This has never happened in history. For as long as we have records, we have always had strong nations impose their will on weak nations. If China gets it’s way, that will go away. The only obstacle for China of course is that last super power that has been imposing it’s will for almost 50 years now…
China is winning under status quo dynamics so any significant shift requires an underlying political change, itself fueled by material impetus. Both the state and the private sector rulers benefit from the status quo. The US’ prodding is helping political development in China, namely consciousness that the US government is hostile, but it will take years for that to percolate to significant policy change via the party, barring the US doing something very stupid (don’t discount this) like giving Taiwan a bunch of nukes and air capability.
Exactly, the west is far more dependent on China than the other way around. That said, there’s a good passage from This Soviet World about the way USSR was trying to navigate things after the revolution, and I feel like it might be the rationale behind what China is doing right now as well:
It is a pretty good strategy to smile and shake hands while the other guy is flailing his arms and screaming at you for being evil while actually committing genocide. But at the same time, the USSR was very involved with trying to establish world communism. I’m hoping China’s strategy pays off.
China is very clearly completely invested in Socialism in One Country, unlike the USSR which aggressively spread Socialism.
But then again, we know which one has managed to prevent a counter-revolution so they’re probably doing something right…
I wonder if the US being so ludicrously racist also makes it easier to maintain solidarity
Sure the US was (and is again) racist towards Russians, but the shit flung at the Chinese is even less hinged
I think one thing we learned from USSR approach is that world communism cannot be established as long as capitalism is the dominant power. Chinese approach seems to be to undermine the hegemon, and then let the countries develop in their own way. It’s not as ambitious, but it’s it’s less polarizing and it’s a case of leading by example. The stronger China gets the more discredited the whole capitalist system becomes as a result.
What do you mean not ambitious? What China is doing is literally the most ambitious thing man kind has ever seen. China wants to give all countries the right to decide for themselves. China has stated multiple times that they will never interfere with a sovereign nation’s right to decide what is right form their own nation. That means whatever a nation’s internal will is, that’s what decisions that country will get to make. This has never happened in history. For as long as we have records, we have always had strong nations impose their will on weak nations. If China gets it’s way, that will go away. The only obstacle for China of course is that last super power that has been imposing it’s will for almost 50 years now…
Yeah that’s fair, it’s a differently ambitious goal.
China is winning under status quo dynamics so any significant shift requires an underlying political change, itself fueled by material impetus. Both the state and the private sector rulers benefit from the status quo. The US’ prodding is helping political development in China, namely consciousness that the US government is hostile, but it will take years for that to percolate to significant policy change via the party, barring the US doing something very stupid (don’t discount this) like giving Taiwan a bunch of nukes and air capability.
very much agree