[HN Gopher] Washington is playing a losing game with China
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       Washington is playing a losing game with China
        
       Author : 1cvmask
       Score  : 25 points
       Date   : 2021-05-30 15:56 UTC (7 hours ago)
        
 (HTM) web link (responsiblestatecraft.org)
 (TXT) w3m dump (responsiblestatecraft.org)
        
       | nobodyandproud wrote:
       | Questionable source:
       | 
       | https://www.tabletmag.com/sections/news/articles/quincy-trit...
       | 
       | It tries to paint China as an economic rival, which of course it
       | is, but the danger was and still is its political and military
       | ambitions.
        
       | mrbadideas wrote:
       | I would have thought strong writing skills were a requirement for
       | diplomats.
        
       | rkhassen9 wrote:
       | I was at a printing trade conference back in the day, there was a
       | session titled "how to beat China".
       | 
       | We were all tricked as the real topic was "how to offshore to
       | China, because anything else is impossible" no doubt the talk was
       | sponsored by the Chinese. Of course we can compete.
       | 
       | This article leaves me with the same feeling.
        
         | ncann wrote:
         | Short of outright banning Chinese products like the US did with
         | Huawei I don't see how you can compete with the Chinese when
         | they make things faster, cheaper, and with minimal quality
         | loss. The last point about quality is even debatable.
        
           | toomuchtodo wrote:
           | Tarrifs to compensate for when China uses underpaid labor,
           | slave labor, or ignores environmental regulations. Lots of
           | way to level the playing field with policy.
           | 
           | If you can still make products faster and cheaper while
           | adhering to the rules businesses in the developed world have
           | to, congrats! You'll succeed.
        
       | throwawaysea wrote:
       | I wonder if this article is making this too complicated. It seems
       | to argue for a cooperation and relinquishing of economic power as
       | a way to retain influence, for example by letting the dollar lose
       | its reserve status. That sounds like a disaster, giving up a
       | primary advantage the US has in global influence and authority.
       | The other primary advantage, military strength, seems like it may
       | also diminish if the US doesn't step up
       | (https://nationalinterest.org/blog/reboot/2050-chinas-
       | militar...).
        
       | akomtu wrote:
       | The US should try to export its social justice to China: that's
       | the only thing that can delay the inevitable.
        
         | toomuchtodo wrote:
         | China is rapidly aging. As long as developed countries "hold
         | the line" against China, they'll sputter out before achieving
         | superpower status.
         | 
         | https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Aging_of_China
         | 
         | https://medium.com/politically-speaking/how-chinas-populatio...
        
           | akomtu wrote:
           | CCP is also the kind of government that would send the old
           | people to far away farms to grow rice for the "young builders
           | of the new society" and China has 1.5 billions people, so it
           | can keep doing this for a few generations. Bluntly speaking,
           | CCP won't carry the dead weight around.
        
             | toomuchtodo wrote:
             | The issue is the fertility rate is permanently stunted.
             | Even if they go soylent green on the elderly, they're on a
             | downward population trajectory that is likely locked in by
             | cultural shifts.
             | 
             | Good for the planet and individuals making the choice, bad
             | for the CCP.
             | 
             | https://www.google.com/search?q=china+fertility+rate
             | 
             | https://www.theguardian.com/world/2021/feb/10/china-
             | birthrat...
             | 
             | https://www.bbc.com/news/world-asia-china-51145251
             | 
             | https://www.scmp.com/news/china/military/article/3135342/ch
             | i...
        
               | akomtu wrote:
               | That's a made up problem. CCP can just "spend" a bulk of
               | young males in a small war, tell the rest to multiply and
               | in 25 years the populace will double.
        
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       (page generated 2021-05-30 23:02 UTC)