Do you think the United States has never given up land? It gave up the Philippines and Cuba. It gave up the Panama Canal. It gave up Okinawa. It withdrew troops from Iraq. If it wanted, the United States could occupy many other countries, but it chooses not to. That is because it knows its real strength is not in land but in technology and alliances.
Does the US have good relations with Cuba? Do you think America's relations with Japan is because it gave up Okinawa (after conquering it) or is it because it beat Japan into a pulp and gave Japan no choice? Both of these support the counter-argument to your argument. You are terrible at finding examples, aren't you? Just like your next one:
For instance, look at the UK debate over Huawei. Until 2020, the UK defied the US and agreed to let Huawei into 35% of its network. According to your theory, this is impossible, since the US with its strength would have "ruined" the UK..
Not impossible at all. I also said that the power balance was shifting more towards China and as that continues, there will be more and more instances of defiance against America. If China had no power, the world was still in lockstep with American hegemony, the UK would not dare to pick Huawei.
Then what happened between the time the UK told the US to shove off and when it said it would try to phase out Huawei as fast as it can (even though it said that before as well)? Oh, yeah, COVID-19. Any change is obviously due purely to the irrational anger of the UK at the pandemic they are suffering.
Having friends is critical.
Friends who respect and wish to follow you for your strength, not "friends" who you temporarily earned through concessions.
The two choices we have:
1) We sacrifice some of our pride: Put away the territorial disputes with ASEAN, Japan, India for now. Doesn't mean we have to concede anything, just tone down the aggressive rhetoric. Solve tensions with the EU over Xinjiang reeducation camps, "Unfair" trade practices and find commonalities that both sides can support: Paris Agreement, Multilateralism, Globalization, etc.
2) We continue our disputes with all these nations and the EU, and end up making a bunch of enemies, that we have to fight, while the US laughs at us while we exhaust our energy feuding with ASEAN, India, Japan, EU etc.
Those are the 2 you give to your imaginary country. China's choice is not in your comprehension:
Become strong enough such that there is no doubt that in Asia, China's word is final, then settle all its disputes in a position of strength, negotiating with selective generosity to those who embrace Chinese power. For true Chinese patriots, nothing else suffices as a victory.
Lets comprehensively list all of China's perceived enemies aside from the US:
1) India --> dispute over Ladakh and borders.
2) Vietnam --> dispute over spratley
3) Philippines --> dispute of SCS
4) Malaysia --> dispute over SCS
5) South Korea --> dispute over THAAD
6) Taiwan --> dispute over Taiwan independence
7) Japan --> dispute over Diaoyu
8) Austrailia --> dispute over HK and Huawei 5G
9) Canada --> dispute over HK and Huawei 5G
10) UK --> dispute over HK and Huawei 5G
The only entities on this list that we have a truly unresolvable dispute with is Taiwan.
So your "solution" to 1, 2, 3, 4, 7 is just give it up, and to 8-10 is what? Hands off Hong Kong and beg for them to accept Huawei? LOL By the way you do things, why's Taiwan not resolvable? Just give up like you give everything else up. Why draw the line there? You were willing to sell it out for a semiconductor company that would be dead without US tech the instant it hit your hands anyway LOL. When the answer to everything is, "sacrifice your pride" and give up, what in the world is unsolvable?
Since the end of the Cold War, China has settled border disputes with Laos, Vietnam, Russia, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, and Tajikstan. In not a single one of these disputes did China fail to compromise and give up claims to at least some of the land previously claimed. In most cases China received less than 50% of the disputed land.
China was much weaker back then. So are all these countries now permanent Chinese allies grateful for what they got or are they asking for more and change their position routinely depending on whether they can gain more from being with or against China? Proves my point perfectly against yours.
Secondly, resolving border disputes does not mean China is "giving up land."
For example of China and India agreed to formalize the LAC, neither side would necessarily give up an inch. They would each simply accept de jure what each respectively already controls.
First of all, accepting foreign occupation of your territory just because they are there is giving up land; it's just not giving up even more land. Secondly, is that what the Indians want or do they want more than what they control? And if they got what they wanted, would they want more afterwards? The world is oversimplified in your mind.
It is pointless to have a claim that you never enforce. All it does is prove your own impotence. Giving up an unenforceable claim costs nothing, all it means is that you are secure enough to accept reality and don't want to start a war. That's a good thing.
Who says it's unenforceable? The key part of "enforceable" is force. You have enough, what was unenforceable yesterday is enforceable today and China's force just keeps on growing.
Seriously, if land is the most important thing to power, then the most powerful countries in the world are:
1. Russia
2. Canada
3. US
4. China
5. Brazil
6. Australia
Small differences in land area does not determine a country's power, security, wealth or anything else. What is most important is that the Chinese people have a good life, are prosperous, that China has the technology to lead the world and defend itself and its interests. This requires advanced technology, alliances, and a strong trading economy. Whether or not you control 1,000 sq km of barren frost at the top of the Himalayas or some island in the middle of nowhere that will be drowned by global warming, has nothing to do with it.
Land is not the only or most important factor to power, but it is one of them. This may be how you carry yourself, but we don't give things up just because "it's not the most important thing." What's rightfully ours is ours; it's a matter of principle if nothing else. Chinese people cannot tolerate the country losing bits and pieces of itself on all sides; it's terrible for morale even if the land is not currently valuable. Go to some other country and convince them to give up everything that's not crucial because you cannot convince China. That would be the best way you can help.
China will give up none its claims and it will grow the be the most powerful country in the world all the same. Nobody needs your cure to diseases that don't exist.
