In times past the common belief, especially in the minds of many Americans, was that China was a kind of primitive, backward country, one ruled with an iron fist by stodgy old leaders; that it was a country that found it very difficult to adjust to the modern-day world. At the same time, the U.S. was viewed as the leader of the world, creative, innovative, and visionary.
Well, it seems as if the propensity for creativity, innovation and vision for the future now rest with China. The real turning point in this role reversal came when those corporatists that have thoroughly corrupted America’s system of capitalism made the devastating mistake of handing over this country’s world renowned manufacturing sector to China; the Chinese took that gift from America and used it to power its economy to its current standing as #1 in the world, with almost unlimited growth potential.
China will soon be in a class by itself, using its rapidly increasing wealth to expand its presence all over the world, to develop and construct many forms of infrastructure within other countries; an agenda that is designed to vastly increase commerce and trade between nations and, at the same time, to generate a multitude of benefits for China. China will pour untold billions into these endeavors and is confident that is will earn a significant return on its investments.
China is implementing plans to restore, or we might say reinvent, the famous Silk Road, that ancient overland trade route that once connected the commerce of Asia and Europe. Centuries ago this road originated in North Central China and ended at the Mediterranean Sea.
This New Silk Road will stretch across East Asia, Central Asia, Russia, parts of the Middle East and Europe and will include extensive high-speed rail systems, fiber optic networks, the construction of new ports as well as natural gas and oil pipelines; including a pipeline running through Afghanistan where the U.S. still has a significant military presence. China is the master architect of these projects; it is busily at work motivating the many nations along these routes to become active participants.
China is also in the process of planning and creating a Maritime Silk Road reaching from China to the Malacca Strait, the Indian Ocean, the Horn of Africa, the Red Sea, and into the Mediterranean. The magnitude of these massive undertakings is breathtaking, certainly revolutionary.
Let’s talk about exceptionalism. China is truly on the way to becoming an exceptional nation with leaders who have a vision for the future and a roadmap for getting there. The plethora of ambitious projects on this aggressive agenda is mind-boggling. We’ve all heard President Obama continually proclaiming that America is the exceptional nation, one that is indispensable. Well, since neither he nor America is doing anything approaching that of China, then the conclusion must be that you can call yourself anything you wish but real exceptionalism comes from positive actions, not chest thumping.
Russia and its economy are currently taking a severe beating because of the powerful sanctions that the U.S. and many of the Euro nations are placing against it. Since Russia is so highly dependent upon exports of oil and natural gas these sanctions are currently having a great damaging effect. That’s the bad news. But the good news for Russia is that it and China are forging a strong relationship with the objective of improving trade and cooperation. A significant portion of China’s development on the Silk Road, and in particular throughout Eurasia, will involve Russia. So when Russia joins with China on some of these major developments it will be given the opportunity to expand its economic base and it will no longer live and die based on energy exports.
From an economic standpoint, it would appear that China is sitting in the “catbird seat” with no other nation, including the U.S., that has the capability to challenge its growing power. The U.S. service economy, flat and lifeless, has no real power. China not only has the most vibrant economy, but it is adding more resources and power through its close alignment with the BRICS group; Brazil, Russia, India, China and, to a lesser extent, South Africa.
These five countries have a combined population of 2.8 billion or 40% of that of the world while covering one-quarter of its land area. They, collectively, form the nucleus of an emerging economic power such as the world has never seen. These nations have given no indication of trying to dominate the world militarily; rather, they give every indication of using their wealth to do positive, constructive things for the betterment of their countries and people, as well as that of the world.
What is really significant in this matter is that, while China has joined with these
BRICS nations to advance their economic objectives, the U.S. continues to align itself with European NATO nations in order to pursue their common militaristic agenda; and they are doing so in many of the very same areas of Eastern Europe and Eurasia where China will be implementing its new Silk Road. How in the world will these totally opposite agendas be able to co-exist in this very strategic region? The answer is they won’t, they can’t.
So, with which of these two countries, China or the U.S., do we think the majority of nations in that region are going to align themselves; which one will they trust, with which will they want to work, whose agenda makes the most sense for them in the longer term? Well, I have this feeling that, once these economic initiatives get underway, most of them will, after they have considered the options, end up supporting China’s agenda in order to make their countries stronger; and many of them will, eventually, back away from their involvement with NATO.
As we watch this race into the future unfold, China comes across as a high-speedeed Porsche racing into the future while America resembles a 1987 Chevrolet Caprice that needs a jumpstart. The U.S. has a declining military empire that stretches across the world. Soon we will see China’s rapidly growing economic empire emerge and energize the world’s commerce and trade.
As these two major countries head into the future, China will be proceeding down the New Silk Road and the Maritime Silk Road, taking China to new heights in its standing among the nations of the world. The U.S., unfortunately, seems to be hell bent on doggedly following its current misguided militaristic agenda. So if the U.S. continues on its current path it will find that it is proceeding down a Road to Nowhere.
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