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dissonant1's avatar

I think I like this Copeland fellow. I like his X bio line: "Author: A World Safe for Commerce (Princeton UP, 2024); Economic Interdependence and War (PUP, 2015);..." Apparently he thinks like I do that good economic relationships and dependencies tend to lessen the risk of war (even if they are somewhat one-sided). That is what scares me somewhat about a guy like Colby having influence in a Trump admin, combined with Trump's attitude of economic warfare against China. We saw economics used as a tool against Japan prior to WWII and now against Russia. I don't think that approach has proven successful and I think economic sanctions and tariffs are ultimately self-defeating and incendiary.

The debate as to why the China military buildup over 30 years is well worth having (even aside from it being in lieu of world war). Is it because they are bellicose and imperialist? Or because they truly prioritize their own security and defense (and accordingly want to be able to defend themselves from the U.S.?) It is hard to know for sure (obviously). But if you look at China's long history (I took a course in it in college eons ago), they have almost exclusively fought within the territory we know as China. The fighting has been to consolidate territory or power within that geographical sphere. One exception is when the Mongols conquered China but they had a different culture and civilizational ethos. Generally it seems the Chinese have held to the Confucian idea of valuing diplomacy and agreement for peace over war. Yes, they think they are the center of the universe (to some extent) and are superior (to some extent) but that hasn't translated into actions aimed at wanting to rule the world. At least not yet. I do believe their primary concern is their own security and well-being - and I think our "diplomats" should engage them accordingly.

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Ray-SoCa's avatar

China’s leaderships goal driving their behaviors are:

- Keep communist party in control

- expand economy

- fix demographics issue

- expand export markets beyond West

- safeguard import routes

- secure raw materials

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