We need another Cold War
- Thread starter fOx
- Start date
I trust neither.
I also don't use facebook, tik-tok ect.
I also don't use facebook, tik-tok ect.
The EU and China don't clash so much because they don't have anything like the same overlap in areas of influence that the USA and China do. China is mainly a regional power still, Pacific Rim and Central Asia: areas where the EU has never exerted much influence (unless we count the European empires). The main difference between China and the USA is that the USA has the power and the reach, and China doesn't... yet. However, as China expands and goes increasingly global, the EU and China will inevitably start to clash more. If it comes to choosing the USA or China, the USA is considerably closer to EU values than China is (at least currently).
A major issue is possibly going to be Russia. Apart from its military, Russia is weak and China is likely to gradually erase all its influence beyond its borders from Vladivostok to the Caspian Sea. In a worst case scenario for Russia, China may even start to encroach on the Russian Far East itself. How Russia responds will likely be a big issue that may draw the EU and China into disagreement.
It is true that the main reason why the EU and China don't have problems with each other is that both have a very limited reach. But i don't see that changing anytime soon, so neutrality remains the best option. If it really does change, we can reevaluate our position again.
Russia seeking EU cooperation against China would be such a reason, indeed. At the moment, Russia ist the only military threat to EU countries and getting rid of that would be worth a lot. There is also a lot economic potential to be had in cooperation with Russia, enough to make it worthwile to step in.
Bu that won't happen anytime soon. The whole Russian system relies on pride in achieving thisngs alone and sticking it to the West. At least as long as Putin exists, they can't admit to be weak. Even afterwards it would be hard to do.
So, again, let us stay neutral until something fundamentally changes.
But i am less sure what the UK could do. They somehow need the US now. But so far "coalition of the willing" did not really work out in the UKs favor and a trade war with China is risky for an already shaky economy.
Russia seeking EU cooperation against China would be such a reason, indeed. At the moment, Russia ist the only military threat to EU countries and getting rid of that would be worth a lot. There is also a lot economic potential to be had in cooperation with Russia, enough to make it worthwile to step in.
Bu that won't happen anytime soon. The whole Russian system relies on pride in achieving thisngs alone and sticking it to the West. At least as long as Putin exists, they can't admit to be weak. Even afterwards it would be hard to do.
So, again, let us stay neutral until something fundamentally changes.
But i am less sure what the UK could do. They somehow need the US now. But so far "coalition of the willing" did not really work out in the UKs favor and a trade war with China is risky for an already shaky economy.
Does China really engage with the EU diplomatically? Like, I assume that it would on the question of trade, but I thought each EU country maintained its own diplomatic relations. Like, in a hypothetical scenario, would China be threatening EU interests, or "interests of insert country here?"
We need an alien intervention invasion intervention really. Because right now a complete unknown is still a better gamble of long-term survival than our current situation, considering that a certain level of co-operation between an alien species is mostly required to get that far, and our own sorry sack of protein mounds can't even handle anyone beyond a damn landlocked border or a funny accent within the same rock. Though to be honest, i dont blame any intelligent creature from wanting to stay the hell away from all that till we got our collective shit together for once.
Funny you should say that; at least here in North Texas, we're now seeing a resurgence of the mosquito-spread West Nile virus cases. And of course because 2020 hates us, the symptoms are very similar to COVID-19. I swear, I'm ready to just head to the nearest truck stop, lick a toilet seat and wait for the sweet release of death.
What's with Dallas and West Nile? I hear about outbreaks there far more often than any other part of Texas.
Dense population, the kind of humidity that makes you have to chew to breathe and the kinds of self-important Texas egos that cause people to eschew suggested preventative measures makes this place the perfect petri dish for the spread of diseases.
Now, if you'll excuse me, I have to mail out the invitations to the mass orgy I'm hosting this weekend at a nearby public pool.
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That is true. But trade is the most important interaction between EU countries and China. As as the EU has a common trade policy, all the important discussions with China (about tariffs, quotas, standards, IP, trademarks, shipping, sanctions) are basically on EU level.
That is also true for threats in both directions. At the moment all threats are basically economic in nature because war is not an option. But goods move through EU borders without any checks. People, service options, capital, do as well. China can't really punish a single EU country but not the rest and vice versa. No EU country can ban Chinese imports or take extra tarriffs.
At most you could try to harm some specific company that is big in one country but not present elsewhere. Or you can threaten to not do a certain investment.
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I mean, I'm 100% in favor of adopting communism in the United States and Europe. And everywhere else, really. And I'm not defending american imperialism during the cold war. I simply consider china an existential threat to the concept of freedom globally, as well as a human rights nightmare. The thing is, I can see america potentially changing and rectifying itself over an extended period of many decades. China.... I can't see that happening, unless there's revolution. Which seems unlikely. So while I think america could potentially reform over time, and start adopting european values and ideas (like better healthcare systems), I can't see china bending itself to anyone elses will. Quite the contrary, I see it censoring other nations.
I also see china as a traitor to communist values. They have adopted corporatism, and are using it as a weapon to club other nations. Our goal should be the eventual eradication of free markets, not setting them up as super monopolies.
Look if you guys are this concerned with China/US/BigBads having your data, just put garbage data out there. You all don't put your real name/gender/age/address/ethnicity on websites right? Fake the data, make it useless.
Also just assume there is no way to keep your data private. We learned just a few weeks ago a bunch of VPN services were secretly selling your data to the Chinese government. Don't put anything online you don't want the NSA or PRC to have, and then make sure its contradicting.
Also just assume there is no way to keep your data private. We learned just a few weeks ago a bunch of VPN services were secretly selling your data to the Chinese government. Don't put anything online you don't want the NSA or PRC to have, and then make sure its contradicting.
No its not. You have to give them a real address, sure, but the name? Or have it delivered to a PO box
The name should need to match with the credit card, right? I've never tried entering a fake name when it asks for my billing information so I don't know.
Also, if you're not using a PO box, and you fill out a fake name, and the delivery guy comes and asks for an ID so he can make sure he's delivering your package to the right person... what then?
Shipping and billing addresses don't have to be the same. And I've never had anyone ask for an ID of any kind. And even then they're shipping to an address, not a person. You could just be a person that's allowed to collect packages for all the delivery drivers care
Personally, I see China as the most enthusiastic proponents of a 1984-like "Big Brother" state of constant surveillance, monitoring, censorship and control.
I think China's long history is one steeped in division, discord and schism, which is likely blamed as a major component of its humbling by the European nations hundreds of years ago. It also has never tried anything other than authoritarian governance. What it has learnt is stability and harmony at all costs, and that means extremely vigorous state imposition of stability and harmony.
Even if it doesn't actively pressurise other governments to do the same, its influence and mere example will encourage other governments to do the same, and they will borrow the techniques it develops to help them.
I agree, which is why I don't want to be friendly with their government. They will have a bigger influence on us, then we will have on them. Their government has been very careful and methodical in ensuring that this is the case. The idea that our governments and corporations will learn and adopt their strategies- strategies that work- is deeply alarming to me. I would rather adopt a wholesale rejection of their authoritarian system.
