“East is East and West is West and never the twain shall meet” couldn’t be truer when it comes to describing the distinct differences between China and the U.S., nations with little to nothing in common who are heading in completely opposite directions. China is rapidly climbing upward to the top of the mountain while America is steadily working its way down into the valley.
Without a doubt, these two countries are polar opposites; their policies and actions and relations with other nations are diametrically opposed. A great many countries in the world look at America with great apprehension and even fear. And when many of these same countries look at China they have no fear and, instead, see profitable opportunities in the making.
When we speak of polar opposites, here are some examples of just that. This government of the U.S. has spent a staggering amount of taxpayer money, several “trillion” dollars, on mindless wars such as Vietnam, Iraq and Afghanistan. China has not wasted its wealth on war or building a military empire. The U.S. gave up on its manufacturing sector and its workforce and China took it over; once the heart of America, it has become the heart of China and is now fueling its economy; while America’s economy is running out of gas.
Let’s play a word association game, the kind in which the host says some word and you are then supposed to say the first word that comes to your mind. I will submit a word and then I will give the answer:
#1 the word proactive: and my answer is – China.
#2 the word reactive; the answer is – the U.S.
#3 the word progress; the answer is – China.
#4 the word regressive; my answer is – the U.S.
#5 the word war – without question – the U.S.
The main recipient of America’s agenda of war continues to be the giant corporations of the defense industry, the only part of the manufacturing sector in America that is still vibrant and thriving. The main recipient of China’s agenda of economic initiatives is its own people who are slowly but surely seeing their quality of life improving, and those nations of the world who will profit by new and innovative infrastructure projects.
Here’s a very interesting article that talks about the massive inroads China is making in Latin America and, especially, in Brazil which has the second largest economy in the Americas after the U.S.
The U.S. government’s presence and influence in Latin America are rapidly waning while China is pursuing economic initiatives with numerous countries within it. Brazil is a major participant in the BRICS group of countries, which also includes China, Russia, India and South Africa. This economic consortium is becoming more powerful as it strongly pursues its economic agenda. China, by itself, is the #1 economy in the world and its association with the other nations of the BRICS group will make it much stronger.
Now, while China’s projects in Latin America are very impressive, they pale in comparison to that nation’s plans for infrastructure projects in Eurasia, that region of the world which includes the landmass of Europe and Asia. Here’s an article which outlines China’s plans for that massive region.
There is nothing mysterious about China’s plan for the future; it doesn’t want to control the world militarily; but it has every intention of becoming the ongoing economic powerhouse in the world and there is nothing that can stop it; it’s become an economic force on steroids.
There are those who dismiss China’s ambitious infrastructure projects and strongly warn that it’s still an enemy of the U.S. Well, if it’s an enemy then why is it being allowed to produce the vast majority of America’s consumer products? And consider this; what if China, instead of pouring hundreds of billions into all these economic initiatives all around the world, spent that money to build a massive military force with the powerful weaponry to match that of the U.S.? That would have the potential to take this world to the brink of World War III; the last thing the world needs.
To aid in the funding for these projects China has created the AIIB, the Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank, It’s very noteworthy that a great many of America’s allies have joined this new Chinese banking institution, including: Australia, Austria, Brazil, France, Germany, the UK, Italy, Luxembourg, Netherlands, New Zealand, Spain and Switzerland. Japan will soon do so as will Taiwan and Norway. As you can imagine Washington must be very troubled at this turn of events.
Now this AIIB and its development in Eurasia may well represent a major turning point in geopolitical affairs in that region of the world. China’s planning may be a whole lot deeper than one might think. As China pursues these ambitious infrastructure projects, it will also be creating a huge trading relationship with these European countries; and Russia, its partner in many of these endeavors, which already has strong trading ties to these countries, will most certainly see them increase.
It’s highly probable that as China and Russia build strong relationships in this strategically important region, the U.S. government’s influence there will slowly but surely diminish. And when many of these U.S. allies improve their relations with both Russia and China, and the trust between these parties grows, it is highly possible that any number of the Euro nations will reassess their involvement with NATO; and that could spell the end of that organization.
The U.S. government is fully aware of China’s growing economic power and its plans around the world. But is it doing anything of substance to try to offset that power with that of its own? What, if anything is this government in Washington doing in other countries to work with them on key infrastructure projects; in fact, what is it doing here in America to improve this country and its infrastructure? It seems as if our government has resigned itself to playing second fiddle to China in all respects except militarily. It can’t seem to comprehend that military power, without economic power to sustain it, will not advance its interests in the world in the long run.
So we see how China is climbing upward to the top of the mountain while America is working its way down into the valley. We might say that the past belongs to America and the future belongs to China.
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