“Even in deep antiquity, the Chinese considered themselves better than other peoples because they believed that their civilization was civilization. This formed the basis of a worldview in which the Chinese sat atop the hierarchy. They did not believe in equal relationships, at least in official or ideological terms. Their world order, with its rules and norms, was based on the principle of Chinese superiority, and the acceptance of that superiority by all others. Traditionally, when the Chinese were forced into a subordinate or even an equal position with another power, usually due to military weakness, they resented it and tried to reassert their usual dominance when they were strong enough to turn the tables.
And it is happening again today. Seething at what they consider humiliations inflicted by Western powers—from the Opium War to what the Chinese call “unequal” treaties that sapped their sovereignty—China is on a mission to regain the upper hand. As Xi put it, the country “will never again tolerate being bullied by any nation.” That’s the goal behind much of his current policies, from a significant buildup of military capabilities to state-funded programs aimed at helping China overtake the West in technology. More and more, China’s diplomacy turns threatening when faced with challenges from other countries, whether the U.S., India, or Australia.”
The whole article is quite accurate.
A: The ‘China’s diplomacy turns threatening....’ sentence is ridiculous. So the US(in particular), India(increasingly so) and Australia don’t do this? Remember that time China stationed war ships off the coast of the US and built military bases in Canada and Mexico? Oh that’s right, it never happened. 🙄
C: Chinese warship targeted Philippine Navy vessel in West PH Sea – AFP
A: because the South China Sea is China’s only open side to the circle of military bases that sounds it. Of course China is going to aggressively defend that. The Soviet’s put one base in Cuba and the US almost started WW3, regardless of the troops and guns surrounding the USSR, in particular those in Turkey I believe it was
B: All hail all our past and current wise Communist leaders who have nothing but the well being of humanity in mind!
A: China is attempting to keep a border open. Sure there are other claims, almost exclusively from countries aligned to the US.
sure. The encirclement of USSR wasn’t provocation at all. And the Soviets had no right of response? Exactly the same policy we see towards China now. Pivot Asia is a deliberate containment policy, which by your logic PRC has to just accept.
Me: I guess it was the USSR's right to install puppet governments in Eastern Europe so they could act as buffer states because they were afraid of invasion
A: not like the US has ever done that. What’s your point?
Me: which puppet governments did the US install as puppet governments to be buffer states in case of invasion? Hawaii is part of the US
The point being that Justifying everything the ussr did as due to "provocation" leads you down some strange paths. But being able to only see one side of the conversation means I may be misinterpreting you
A: really? Puppet governments all over the globe. Korea, Indonesia, Chile. In Europe, basically every country thanks to NATO.
The Marshall plan literally made Western Europe a puppet state, all be it not by force. Italy, Greece and France arguably were.
Every country in SE Asia, so many in Latin America and Africa.
Not to mention the US’s support for the fascists in Spain and Portugal. West Germany and Japan were reconstructed out of former fascist regimes.
You don’t have any high ground here. At all.
Me: so by puppet government you mean any government that's not hostile to the US?
B: Sure, West Germany was built on the ruins of a facist regime. So was the GDR. Unlike the GDR, West Germany didn't shoot its citizens in the back when they tried leaving the country because it was trampling on their civil liberties. The Stasi was the true successor to the Gestapo; West Germany had nothing remotely similar. As to the Marshall Plan: Most historians agree that much of the European economic recovery was well under way before the Plan kicked in. It definitely got the US a lot of goodwill and for good reason (so did the Berlin Airlift). Far from Western Europe having to be coerced into an alliance with the US most countries were actively seeking it. Unlike the Soviets who had to kill to keep their satellite states in line (e.g. Czechoslovakia). Overall, you keep peddling a caricature of history that seeks to build an apology of totalitarian mass murderers while falsely claiming that it's all the fault of the "imperialist US".
Me: France was such a US puppet state that when it withdrawed from the NATO Integrated Military Command Structures, the US sent tanks into Paris to replace De Gaulle with a more pliable figurehead
B: Right, I totally forgot. That must have been censored in my German (but US-controlled) school history books.