Dude on a scale of 1-10 how free are you

The Chinese on the other hand are slaves to the communist party, who then rents them to multinational cooperations so they are not so free.

Our multinational corporations will dominate them! They will work for us! The Chinese are very bad people, you see, they want to control and dominate other people.

Yes, controlling and dominating the world is how we, along with our allies, have not experienced war for 70 years except Vietnam which happened from stupidity not an actual threat. It’s also how we have all the cool stuff we use everyday, and how we can live into our 80s if we want. You live the benefits of western domination every day and tbh with so many people lifted out of poverty since Nixon visited so does China.

It is self evident if you are not just speaking emotionally and instead look at data.

Whether it is 'covid' or 'economic growth' or 'strategic relationships' the trajectories matter. They are not definitive as things can be changed in the future but they speak very much as to what is to come if things DON"T change.

And if things don't change China will surpass the US in many key areas that are related to influence and power in this world.




The world’s top economy: the US vs China in five charts


For more than a century, the United States has been the world's biggest economy, accounting for over 24% of the world’s gross domestic product (GDP) in 2016, according to figures from the World Bank.

But change is afoot, as this infographic from the Visual Capitalist shows.



Both the IMF and the World Bank now rate China as the world’s largest economy based on Purchasing Power Parity (PPP), a measure that adjusts countries’ GDPs for differences in prices. In simple terms, this means that because your money stretches further in China than it would in the US, China’s GDP is adjusted upwards.

And it won’t be too long before China’s economy surpasses the US’s by other measures, too. The Centre for Economics and Business Research (Cebr) predicts it will happen in 2029.



...Despite the recent slowdown, China’s economy is still growing at almost three times the rate of the US – around 7% over the last couple of years, compared to less than 2.5%.

The two nations are on an even keel when it comes to exports. However, the US has a trade deficit – it imports more than it exports – while China imports significantly less than it exports, resulting in a trade surplus...

...China lags in terms of foreign direct investment flowing into the country. Its high-tech exports amount to nearly four times less than those of the US.

Closing this gap may just be a matter of time though, not least because China is committed to education, with around 4% of total GDP now being invested in training its people. China’s education system is the largest in the world. It has more university students than the EU and the US combined, and there is growing demand for higher education among its young people...

...China is well on its way to becoming the world’s leading economy, and is already there in PPP terms. However, in order to surpass the US’s highly diversified, tertiary economy, there’s more to do: China still needs to make the all-important transition from a resource-intensive manufacturing hub to a modern, consumer-driven economy...

And you don't really need to reply with 'But I FEEL that won't happen' as I know that is how you feel.

I am speaking to a very real trajectory that is undeniable. China was a blip in all these areas just 50 years ago and now they lead many and threaten all key indicator areas. That trajectory is real and cannot be denied.

If it continues, 'IF', they will pass America in ALL key indicators within about 50 years if not sooner, as the article above suggests.

I think this above speaks to you being a 100% emotive person who cannot separate logic and data from your 'feels'.

I am no China fan and think they are a potential unique and grave threat to Western Ideals, if they become a US type sole world power with the Un in their pocket and very little check and balance.

I think they will make US transgression and abuse of power (which was significant) look trivial in comparison. That however is just my guess and view, and nothing resembling fact.

But I believe the West needs to tighten their alliances in an attempt to counter the growing CHina influence to be that check as long as they can.

None of the above being stated by me in any way impacts the FACTS around China's trajectory and growth. Those facts exist regardless of my person views.

Your view seems more in line with Sport Team favoritism where a super fan won't acknowledge anything good about an opposing team regardless of how factual it is. They believe being on the 'side' of 'their team' is more important than acknowledging any facts.

You don’t follow the news much, do you?

I hope that while you acknowledge "...controlling and dominating the world is how we, along with our allies, have not experienced war for 70 years..." you would also add it 'is how we also got very rich while decimating many other countries and cultures we purported to 'help', 'liberate', 'free'.

Do you understand that? Acknowledge that?

That the US has done what it did to secure its interests and enrich it self and its allies which is exactly why you seem to fear China so much because they would do the same and most in the West are not on their side of the 'enrich' ledger, thus the threat.

I mean, arguing self interest is fine, as long as you are honest about it. You seem ok with the current hegemony while fearing a new alignment which is fine, but like with the sport team analogy you seem blind to the truths.

I mean the average citizen who wants to go to school get a job start a family and live in peace. That person hasn’t been conscripted to war like happened for hundreds of years all over Europe and happens all the the time in other places.

You’re so far down the rabbit hole Trolly you’ve convinced yourself we don’t have prosperity, ok. But you don’t think we have peace?

We’ve had two decades of nonstop war thanks to jingoistic mouth-breathing clowns like you and now you’re telling me it never happened. ****ing amazing stuff, go talk to some Iraq veterans and see how your takes go over.

For sure. The west outsourced conflict and gave their citizens peace with powerful professional armies. Some presidents did bad things invading places we had no business and needlessly killing a lot of people who should not have died. I came of age politically reading the history of the horrors of Iraq after 2003.

I despise George bush and his laundered reputation is disgusting.

But tell a South Korean no good has come from Americas empire. Ask a lab older Japanese person how American occupation has worked out. No western European has experienced war for two or even three generations after centuries of killing each other.

Yes Mexico is a hellscape of murdered same with the El Salvador neighborhood so it’s not all good. But I do not hate my country while wanting it to do better. T

If you don’t understand the concept of a professional army just troll man. My best friends brother is a marine who did a tour on Afghanistan then one in Iraq, then went back as a contractor twice and we were just talking about Afghanistan

Trolly Biden is about to reinvade Somalia after trump pulled out, is that my fault

Will your life be less peaceful after the United States invades! another country. No because we are rich and have a professional warrior class for the last 40 years.

When thatcher invaded the Falkland were the British people suddenly on a war footing confiscating boats like Dunkirk. No.

When bush senior invaded Panama did you have to drink a single cup of coffee a day or join the coast guard. No. Because our army was at war not our people.

How did Iraq change your day to day trolly. How were YOU at war?

Ok great.

In this area you do see a little of 'both' sides, so that is something.

I think you need to however shift your arguments as you seem to be saying the "US represented MY interests and MY security" more than anything and arguing that 'since China may not be aligned with that, you fear them'.

And certainly if your concern is 'sides' then sure 'US good', 'China bad' can be a simple truth for you.

It is when you try to craft those arguments into absolute truths or ignore realities (such as trajectory) that is becomes a problem.

While the US has been good for the US and many nations aligned with them, they have also been a disaster for those opposed to them or nations seen as exploitable, even if allies.

China would be similarly good for 'self' and those aligned with them, while exploiting many others, imo. We, in the West just might not be in their 'friends' list which could be bad for us.

I guess it isn’t really a war if you aren’t personally inconvenienced by it, interesting take.

‘We’ve had war’ the ‘we’ meaning ‘myself and everyone else’.

But did you really just experience two decades of war trolly? It was more of a TV show for you ya? When a country gets rich and aggressive enough they stand up a professional army so their citizens are insulated from the effects of war.

We didn’t go to war. We didn’t go anywhere. We were attacked for one day and the. our soldiers went to war. You were on the internet talking about it. My childhood wasn’t ‘war years’. Syrians and Iraqis know war. The people of Tigray and Ethiopia, they’re at war. South Africa just had a spasm of war with itself.

You don’t know **** about war and neither do I. We’ve lived our whole lives at peace.

Its not war if the standing army is involved, that is in fact, peace.

Ding Ding Ding Phoneaccount wins the prize.

How how long till China can win a Peace with America?

The Earth cant sustain the Chinese consuming at the same rate as Americans.

It cant sustain Americans consuming at the rate of Americans.

Oh it definitely is if it’s your country that’s invaded. Iraqis have war years, the whole population no one untouched. I had a very peaceful childhood.

If Sadam Hussein had invaded New York City in 2003 then I would have grown up during war years.

USA only spent $822bn on its Peace in Afghanistan.

Looking like money well spent.

https://www.wsj.com/articles/ethiopi...8620222?page=1

That’s what going to war looks like.

Iirc when asked what Americans should do to help fight the war on terror the president said ‘go shopping’.

Is this actually happening?