Miscellaneous News

[Biscuits]

I would argue that absent the Taiwan issue, that China would be far LESS prepared for US confrontation. It wasn't until the 1996 Taiwan Strait Crisis that China decisively pivoted. It's this singular core issue that has been the main impetus behind China's comprehensive military modernization and development. Without Taiwan, China would have focused almost entirely on the mainland. Instead, China has been literally forced into expanding its "security", not just military, envelope in all realms to counter what is obviously a containment strategy. I'm not saying they wouldn't have developed long-range missiles and plans to extend the kill zone to the 2nd island chain or that the Belt & Road and now evolving non-Western financial order would appear. What I'm saying is, it would have been a far lower priority and both the navy, air force, sanctionable technologies, sanctionable resources, etc, would have been no where near where they are today.

Everybody knows that the Anglo-Americans would enforce not just trade sanctions but military blockades of vulnerable resources and technologies. This has had an enormous impact on China's self-sufficiency in food, natural resources, technologies and dramatically accelerated China's evolution in these directions as a result. China is by far the world's largest market. Once they attain anything approaching self-sufficiency, they attain sovereign global pricing power and market power unrivaled by any potential economic bloc, even including a hypothetical economic bloc composed of the entire OECD combined.

So, this isn't just about military strength but also how it has affected China's comprehensive development in every area we can imagine. China's leadership would have never foreseen the current level of Anglo-American dysfunction without it rearing its head in the early days when China was 3 magnitudes weaker. Imagine what the Western alliance could do to China now if it weren't for Taiwan in the 1990s to counter the Chinese liberals who were totally dominant at that time.

At this point China is likely somewhat keeping the issue alive just to give US something to feed towards while China can work on strengthening the whole international system.

I mean, going to 3% gdp spending will not hurt the economy, and I can pretty much guarantee that doubling the PLA's funding will buy a military that is so powerful that even the US militarists will just take a look at it and say any chances of invasion are hopeless. And then China can apply the Israel model when it comes to dealing with ROC at its own pace without fear of any US intervention in the civil war.

I think the most difficult work which China has cut out for it right now is to get the third world into shape. China's stated goals is to reinforce the post ww2 international order into a viable system of equals, rejecting America's attempt to create an US first "new order". There is no real reason to doubt that China is insincere about these goals.

To this end, major regional players such as India, Russia, France, Brazil, Iran, Saudi Arabia, and so on, must be set up as local "poles" that help curtail American influence. Of course, some will be more reluctant and some will more easily embrace their role, but building these "fortresses" against US is China's most arduous and important task.

Russia, which used to host many infantile disorders about "balancing" China against other countries and so on (as one can see in the theories of eurasianism), is now a case of mission accomplished.

 

[Overbom]

Russia, which used to host many infantile disorders about "balancing" China against other countries and so on (as one can see in the theories of eurasianism), is now a case of mission accomplished.

Russia balancing against China with Japan, India, Central Asia and specific EU countries will never stop being funny.

Especially after this war, seeing all their sand castles blown like a fart in the wind makes it even funnier. The most unforgivable part for me was that they forced China to accept India into SCO (thus crippling it)

Lets see how their precious India will now take them out of this mess they have gotten themselves into lol

 

[ansy1968]

I mean, going to 3% gdp spending will not hurt the economy, and I can pretty much guarantee that doubling the PLA's funding will buy a military that is so powerful that even the US militarists will just take a look at it and say any chances of invasion are hopeless. And then China can apply the Israel model when it comes to dealing with ROC at its own pace without fear of any US intervention in the civil war.

That's why I advocate an Arm race with the US with priority on new weapons and technology rather than legacy tech. 4 CBG is enough, I think within the Pacific region the American can deployed the same number. What we need is to increase our Hypersonic missile advantage and means to counter it. We may do a SDI like strategy that may bankrupt the US.

 

[siegecrossbow]

Twerking and boob shaking videos are now a matter of national security!

And most of them aren’t even Chinese ass/tits.

 

[Biscuits]

Russia balancing against China with Japan, India, Central Asia and specific EU countries will never stop being funny.

Especially after this war, seeing all their sand castles blown like a fart in the wind makes it even funnier. The most unforgivable part for me was that they forced China to accept India into SCO (thus crippling it)

Lets see how their precious India will now take them out of this mess they have gotten themselves into lol

Well, you gotta think further than thinking that having India in SCO will fundamentally somehow poison the organization.

India is a subject that China can work on.

Both US and India are glass hearted nationalities. Once there is some level of "adverse reaction" between them, neither side is capable of backing down without "appearing weak" and before you know it, India may become more useful beyond the wildest expectations.

 

[Overbom]

Well, you gotta think further than thinking that having India in SCO will fundamentally somehow poison the organization.

India is a subject that China can work on.

Both US and India are glass hearted nationalities. Once there is some level of "adverse reaction" between them, neither side is capable of backing down without "appearing weak" and before you know it, India may become more useful beyond the wildest expectations.

Your premise that India isn't unsalvageable is something I agree with, but I believe that it is a long term project. In the meantime however, SCO is crippled because of this. I would rather India had been engaged with China in another format. Let China work on SCO first, and when it is ready it could start serious work on India.

Now though, SCO is being held hostage by India

 

[Abominable]

Well, you gotta think further than thinking that having India in SCO will fundamentally somehow poison the organization.

India is a subject that China can work on.

Both US and India are glass hearted nationalities. Once there is some level of "adverse reaction" between them, neither side is capable of backing down without "appearing weak" and before you know it, India may become more useful beyond the wildest expectations.

Exactly. No matter how bad China-India relations are, having India in the SCO is better than having them outside it.

It's sort of analogous to Turkey and Greece joining NATO. America wanted Turkey as an ally to use its territory against the USSR, and Greece was a small relatively unimportant country with an undemocratic government. However having Turkey in NATO and not Greece would lead to NATO being perceived as an alliance against Greece.

Whatever problems China and India have should be solved within the framework of the SCO.

 

[pmc]

.

Russia balancing against China with Japan, India, Central Asia and specific EU countries will never stop being funny.

Especially after this war, seeing all their sand castles blown like a fart in the wind makes it even funnier. The most unforgivable part for me was that they forced China to accept India into SCO (thus crippling it)

India is largest source of immigrants to Mideast and Arab countries want to expand trade with it. so better India inside SCO than outside.

Lets see how their precious India will now take them out of this mess they have gotten themselves into lol

India-Russia trade has increased 400%. I would even think without Arabs this is not even possible.

 

[Phead128]

A US state asked for evidence to ban TikTok. The FBI offered none
Emails show officials in the state of Connecticut opted not to ban the Chinese-owned app after consulting with the FBI.

When Maryland became the latest US state to ban the use of TikTok on government devices and networks last month, cybersecurity officials in the state of Connecticut turned to the FBI for guidance.

They wanted to know if the FBI had additional information to support a ban in their state amid dire warnings by the law enforcement agency’s leadership and Republican governors that the Chinese-owned app posed serious threats to privacy and national security.


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If TikTok can (successfully) challenge Trump's executive actions in the judicial system... The courts blocked Trump's ban....Then I am willing to bet TikTok can do the same against State governments too using legal system. Sure, gov't devices who gives a shit, but university networks sounds like breach of freedom of speech with spurious and circumstantial speculation and no evidence. Anyone know if TikTok is going to launch a legal appeal/challenge against these states?

 

[pmc]

Maybe the EU has a central importance of the USA, as a buffer against Russia but without significant capital and resources, can they really hold out without protests from the majority going out of hand the long this war cleared on. If the EU gets screwed, the USA would be in trouble. Lastly, if the German political class fails to address the concerns of the people in regards to rising costs and the general state of the economy under Olaf, they might end up in tatters like Ursula has said.

I am sure there people impacted by high cost of living and medical shortages but Ukraine has united Europe behind European integration project like never before. EU has now trade surplus with all raw materials countries like Australia/Canada/Mexico/US etc, Euro has regained its pre-war value with relatively low interest rates. etc Europe as geopolitical project now greatly expanding its engineering resources into Mideast and North Africa that is foundation of dependency. Europe still attracting largest number of students.
Unless we see Protests in Northern Italy, Netherlands, Germany, Swiss, Belgium, Scandinavia and to certain extent Czech/Poland. i dont see much impact on Europe industrials.