HatTip to Ben for calling attention to this remarkable story.
Essentially China’s “Belt and Road” initiative is a system of China putting massive infrastructure investment funds into a targeted country in exchange for their ability to extract resources needed for Chinese expansion. However, several nations are now rising up against the Chinese influence as it surfaces in the lives of the citizens.
Angola is a case study in China investing billions and with the investment a large number of Chinese citizens arrive set up businesses there. Over time resentment against the Chinese has been building. Then a flashpoint with a massive jump in gas prices. Suddenly, anarchy erupts, and all the Chinese businesses are looted, some even killed in the violence.
[READ STORY HERE]
China is now evacuating some of the 300,000+ Chinese citizens from the region, and the Chinese embassy is urgently warning people about the escalating crisis.
Remember when Tunis erupted at the origin of the “Arab Spring”? That was a combined economic and cultural flashpoint. This escalating problem in Africa has a similar theme to it.
People often talk about the ‘strength’ of China’s economic model; and indeed within a specific part of their economy -manufacturing- they do have economic strength. However, the underlying critical architecture of the Chinese economic model is structurally flawed and President Trump with his current economic team understand the weakness better than all international adversaries.
Lets take a stroll and lightly discuss.
China is a central planning economy. Meaning it never was an outcropping of natural economic conditions. China was/is controlled as a communist style central-planning government; As such, it is important to reference the basic structural reality that China’s economy was created from the top down.
This construct of government creation is a key big picture distinction that sets the backdrop to understand how weak the economy really is.
Any nations’ economic model is only as stable (or strong) as the underlying architecture or infrastructure of the actual country.
Think about economic strength and stability this way: If a nation was economically walled off from all other nations, can it survive? …can it sustain itself?
In the big picture – economic strength is an outcome of the ability of a nation, any nation, to support itself first and foremost. If a nations’ economy is dependent on other nations’ for it to inherently survive it is less strong than a nation whose economy is more independent.
You might not realize it, but China is an extremely dependent nation.
When the central planning for the 21st century Chinese Economy was constructed, there were several critical cultural flaws, dynamics exclusive to China, that needed to be overcome in order to build their economic model. It took China several decades to map out a way to economic growth that could overcome the inherent critical flaws.
Critical Flaws To Exploit:
♦Because of the oppressive nature of the Chinese compliant culture, the citizens within China do not innovate or create. The “Compliance Mindset” is part of the intellectual DNA strain of a Chinese citizen.
Broadly speaking, the modern era Chinese are not able to think outside the box per se’ because the reference of all civil activity has been a history of box control by government, and compliance to stay (think) only within the approved box. The lack of intellectual thought mapping needed for innovation is why China relies on intellectual theft of innovation created by others.
American culture specifically is based around freedom of thought and severe disdain of government telling us what to do; THAT freedom is necessary for innovation. That freedom actually creates innovation.
Again, broadly speaking Chinese are better students in American schools and universities because the Chinese are culturally compliant. They work well with academics and established formulas, and within established systems, but they cannot create the formula or system themselves.
♦ The Chinese Planning Authority skipped the economic cornerstone. When China planned out their economic entry, they did so from a top-down perspective. They immediately wanted to be manufacturers of stuff. They saw their worker population as a strategic advantage, but they never put the source origination infrastructure into place in order to supply their manufacturing needs. China has no infrastructure for raw material extraction or exploitation.
China relies on: importing raw material, applying their economic skillset (manufacturing), and then exporting finished goods. This is the basic economic structure of the Chinese economy.
See the flaw?
Cut off the raw material, and the China economy slows, contracts, and if nations react severely enough with export material boycotts the entire Chinese economy implodes.
Insert big flashy sign for: “One-Belt / One-Road” HERE
Again, we reference the earlier point: Economic strength is the ability of a nation to sustain itself. [Think about an economy during conflict or war] China cannot independently sustain itself, therefore China is necessarily vulnerable.
China is dependent on Imports (raw materials) AND Exports (finished goods).
♦The 800lb Panda in the room is that China is arguably the least balanced economy in the modern world. Hence, China has to take extraordinary measures to secure their supply chain. This economic dependency is also why China has recently spent so much on military expansion etc., they must protect their vulnerable interests.
Everything important to the Chinese Economy surrounds their critical need to secure a strong global supply chain of raw material to import, and leveraged trade agreements for export.
China’s economy is deep (manufacturing), but China’s economy is also narrow.
China could have spent the time to create a broad-based economy, but the lack of early 1900’s foresight, in conjunction with their communist top-down totalitarian system and a massive population, led to central government decisions to subvert the bottom-up building-out and take short-cuts. Their population controls only worsened their long term ability to ever broaden their economic model.
It takes a population of young avg-skilled workers to do the hard work of building a raw material infrastructure. Mine workers, dredge builders, roads and railways, bridges and tunnels etc. All of these require young strong bodies. The Chinese cultural/population decisions amid the economic builders precluded this proactive outlook; now they have an aging population and are incapable of doing it.
This is why China has now positioned their economic system as dependent on them being an economic bully. They must retain their supply chain: import raw materials – export finished goods, at all costs.
This inherent economic structure is a weakness China must continually address through policies toward other nations. Hence, “One-Belt / One-Road” is essentially their ‘bully plan’ to ensure their supply chain and long-term economic viability.
This economic structure, and the reality of China as a dependent economic model, also puts China at risk from the effects of global economic contraction.
That’s a shame…./s
Therefore, to defeat China militarily, all you have to do is choke off it’s raw material supply lines. That can be done without even entering China mainland.
How’d that workout with Japan circa 1940?
A review of history will show us doing something similar during WWII when the US Navy’s submarine fleet started to concentrate it’s efforts on sinking Japanese supply ships vs their war ships. Cutting off the supply lines devastated Japan’s ability to make war.
When the US turned off oil to the Japanese, that basically forced the hand they had
Same exact liability the Japanese suffered from in WW2
China imports considerable oil and gas and other resources overland from Russia and central Asia, so as bad as maritime disruptions could be for China, they still have access to incredible raw materials from neighboring countries. The big question: Could China still feed itself? I’m somewhat uncertain, but I doubt it.
It can. Would be prudent to have a military capability to dissuade them from war as a distraction. PDJT is hammering the CCP with tariffs- seems to be working as well.
China has black fatigue. Lol
The world getting China fatigue.
Not really. BRICS’ Countries are helping themselves.
“U.S. soybean farmers urged President Donald Trump in a Tuesday letter to reach a trade deal with China that secures significant soybean purchase agreements, warning of dire long-term economic outcomes if the country continues to shun the U.S. crop.
China, the world’s largest soybean buyer, is turning to Brazilian cargoes amid trade tensions with the U.S. and ongoing negotiations. The country has not pre-purchased soybeans from the upcoming U.S. harvest, an unusual delay that has worried traders and farmers.
“Soybean farmers are under extreme financial stress. Prices continue to drop and at the same time our farmers are paying significantly more for inputs and equipment. U.S. soybean farmers cannot survive a prolonged trade dispute with our largest customer,” said the letter sent from the American Soybean Association to Trump on Tuesday.
China’s turn to Brazilian soybeans could cost U.S. farmers billions. China bought 54% of U.S. soybean exports in the 2023-2024 marketing year, worth $13.2 billion, according to the ASA. The country’s soybean imports hit a record July high this year.
Soybean prices jumped after an August 11 post from Trump on Truth Social urging China to quadruple its soybean purchases. However, farmers said they doubted such a large increase was possible.
“The further into the autumn we get without reaching an agreement with China on soybeans, the worse the impacts will be on U.S. soybean farmers,” said the letter.
The White House did not immediately respond to a request for comment.”
(Reporting by Leah Douglas in Washington; Editing by Andrea Ricci)https://finance.yahoo.com/news/us-soybean-farmers-urge-trump-160836232.html
Piss hole in the snow
How about the farmers grow food for Americans instead of soybean garbage for the Chinese?
Bacon likes to eat soybeans. Mmmm, bacon/
Thanks for your concern
What do you mean??
It is always a danger when a business becomes to reliant on one customer. For business, this is a case where diversity (of customers) is good.
What the heck are soybeans even for? I thought they lacked nutrition to begin with. Useless crop?
Soybeans are a source of protein. Soybeans and soybean products are a major food source throughout Asia.
“Soy is a key source of food, useful both for its protein and oil content. Soybean oil is widely used in cooking, as well as in industry. Traditional unfermented food uses of soybeans include edamame, as well as soy milk, from which tofu and tofu skin are made. Fermented soy foods include soy sauce, fermented bean paste, nattō, and tempeh. Fat-free (defatted) soybean meal is a significant and cheap source of protein for animal feeds and many packaged meals.[4] For example, soybean products, such as textured vegetable protein (TVP), are ingredients in many meat and dairy substitutes.[4][5] Soy based foods are traditionally associated with East Asian cuisines, and still constitute a major part of East Asian diets, but processed soy products are increasingly used in Western cuisines.”
Maybe if Americans ate more Soybean products, they wouldn’t look like the creatures that they get bacon from.
💯
This was just a matter of time.
China is now learning about Africa by holding a cat by the tail.
thank god we are revived to address their standard response.
china citizens run not their gov
The WB has moved their 2nd largest operation to Africa.
I think this might be short lived pop up bank that world bank flees from quickly.
SD, when you say similar theme to the Arab spring, are you very obliquely implying that the US has a hidden hand in instigating it?
the odds are very good. the NAZCIA is not going to just pack up and give up, and the MAGA crowd seems all gung ho about picking a fight with China next. so i guarantee they are all in.
I doubt it’s CIA, it probably a repercussion from our trade positions having a down stream affect.
Yes. If I was a betting man then I would bet on your position, but, I cannot dismiss Miley’s speculation.
Well if peace prevails in Ukraine/Russia…there is always chyna./s
Yep, anywhere there is money to be made and American companies involved, the see-eye-a will be there. Huge security issues for all foreign companies in Africa right now…rare minerals, gold, platinum, etc are mined in central and south Africa and, yes, the US has a stake in mining those minerals.
China is the biggest threat. The left wants WWIII with Russia.
No more genocidal European Wars
and the right wants WW3 with China.
how do you think the latter will turn out better?
Angola’s biggest export by far is crude oil. They supply 12% of the world’s crude exports. Most of their output is bought by China. But most of the exploration, drilling and pumping is done by Chevron, ExxonMobile, Total, ENI, BP and SINOPEC. They have their own domestic energy company SONANGOL who they are trying to expand and encroach on the foreign oil companies.
So yes, the CIA is there.
The trade off might be those ‘bonded warehouses’?
Just curious, as I may have missed something else – are you referring to the rehypothecated (times over) resources that are supposed to be bonded and guaranteed? Such as copper sitting in warehouses used for loan guarantees
The U.S. doesn’t really need to foment this kind of resentment. It’s endemic in some cultures more than others, and China sets itself up as the perfect target.
I believe Sundance is looking at causal similarities but not necessarily including the instigator.
One of the major flash points for the Arab Spring was an incident that occurred in an open air shopping market in Tunis … it became a rally point for unrest vs authorities as well as elites across the “Arab World”.
Not so sure how much sway the US holds across Africa in general … the DoD does have AFRICOM, which is supported by about 2 x Special Forces Groups, rotating detachments from the US XVIII Airborne Corps and at times a Marine Amphibious Unit. There are also on-going DEA Operations hidden behind the vernier of the US Sate Department as well as INTEL OPS supposedly working to suppress the various Terrorist Organizations.
Keep in mind the Europeans were just bounced out and it seems China Inc. as well as various Russian Organizations hold sway via BRICS a the Government level, but are not necessarily popular with the main street folks of the Host Nation. The Government Folks and Elites of the Host Nation seem to get rich but the rest of the folks are just assets to exploit …. go figure, communists exploiting peasants who would have thought it possible.
Angola is a Marxist state, whose Government aligns well with the CCP running China Inc. and long history aligned with the USSR before China Inc. moved into the neighborhood. There was a nasty civil war even fought inside Angola with the “Western Nations” tacitly using a very efficient South African Defense Force as their proxies … until South Africa became a political liability for the emerging liberal governments of Europe and the US …. then South Africa and their non-communist allies were sold-out … the Communists were given free reign to win, supported by a massive Cuban Expeditionary Force.
The amount of influence the US has in Angola and other South-Western African states is highly questionable due to the form of government and/or a history of being sold out by Western Powers and/or a long held animosity left over from colonial times.
CIA is all over Africa as are the Europeans’ intel agencies. Angola used to be a Portuguese colony.
Africa is being carved up all over again. This time it’s being divided-up between China, the Jihadis and US/EU interests.
good point on dependency. typically i’d think do what they can just keep stealing ours and everyones ideas to offeset their system’s side effect of stifiling creativity etc.
PDJT looks to be weaking their influence that eases the ability to steal ( if your company comes here we get all IP knowledge)
That should read “if your company comes here, you hired stupid, short sighted & greedy executives that will give us YOUR PROPERTY forever for a few 💰today.”
Reminds me that the Chinese took over shoe manufacturing in Northern Italy–and gave them all COVID in exchange.
Brazil was also a Belt-and-Road gift to the Chinese Military Dictatorship by the CIA and their Dominion CheatWare Voting Machines.
That is not what we were told. Clearly Covid came from a lone pangolin in a Chinese wet market. Honest.
Jon Stewart On Vaccine Science And The Wuhan Lab Theory
stopped-clock humor
Classic…ahhhh Jon you need to shut up and stay on script.
Western colonial powers greeting China as it tries to exploit Africa…
LOL exactly. as our empire wanes and we self-inflict wounds for being “colonial” – China is only too happy to pick up the slack. and that slack includes all the trials and tribulations of being a world policeman.
China: *evacuates 300,000 citizens*
The British Empire:
?w=1024
Hokkoda: Time for form British squares.
Men of Harleach stop your dreaming
Can’t you see their spear points gleaming
See their warrior pennants streaming,
To this battle field!
Men of Harlech, on to glory,
This will ever be your story,
Keep these fighting words before ye,
Welshmen will not yield.
Boy oh boy, considering the pathetic state of affairs of a fallen UK invaded by aliens without any push back by the Brits themselves, it’s truly sad to consider how the mighty doth fall. It remains to be seen if the good ol’ US of A will fare any better.
Zulu or Zulu Dawn?
The US was intentionally sabotaged by the oligarchs. China was deliberately enriched by the same. It would have happened on its own.
Period.
It would not have happened otherwise
Having spent a week in Angola, this does not surprise me. Those people truly suffer from Communism. It is right in your face everyday.
Africa is the way it is because it is full of Africans. Ideology is secondary.
DNA overcomes ideology, politics, religion, welfare, governments, slavery, slick deals and imprisonment for Eons!
Yes, tribal affiliation is the only thing that counts with most African countries…
.
Raw materials… and food.
.
Consider the other ill thought out policy of One Child per Family of a generation ago, the effects of which are as much an economic flaw as that which is unfolding in Africa.
Demographics is destiny.
It is indeed, and when the Chinese pass through this demographic imbalance (a temporal pulse of more aged than young) there will be half as many Chinese as today. This means that there will be twice as much living space and other resources per capita and a greater demand for labor. Our European ancestors went through a similar rebound after the Black Death killed half of them. MOST IMPORTANTLY (not only for quality of life, but for social, political, and economic stability) China will still be Chinese.
Ethnic mores (culture) are real because ethnicity is real because race is real because biology is real because the mathematical understructure God designed into the universe is real. People are not fungible and real civilizations are more than mere trade zones.
Whatever criticisms one can make about Chinese political, social, and economic governance, unlike the merchant clown trash who own and rule the West, the Chinese aren’t stupid enough to think they can solve the birth rate deficit problem among their own people with other people’s babies. Chinese civilization without Chinese people won’t be China anymore. English civilization without English people won’t be England anymore. American civilization without American people won’t be America anymore. In my little patch, this is already true.
Thank you, Horace…
And not only more aged than young as in Japan where they are in a death spiral as the young have been showing no interest in reproducing for decades. At least to the extent that it now sits well below population replacement levels.
But also because of the documented killing of little girls at birth, as sons were preferred.
Talk about a double imbalance…to an exponential degree.
But at least they are not importing “replacements”, as I am horrified to discover Japan (as an example) is doing with Muslims. As for Europe, the UK, the Nordic and Scandinavian countries? When “Mohammed” is at the top or near to the top of names for newborn males, the battle for the survival of Western civilization and Christianity has taken an almost fatal blow.
What importing Muslims? I know my daughters white nephew went to teach there, married a Japanese girl and is a citizen. Definitely not a Muslim.
China has been allowed to do this. The NWO oligarchs hate White Christians and they allowed the invasion against the will of the western peoples.
Belt and Road is nothing more than colonialism under different terms, something that Africa and South America is beginning to understand.
Belt and Road is colonialism under communist terms.
Just a though on Sundance’s comment about Chinese people not innovating or creating. I have taught many ethnic Chinese people and whatever the defect, I think it is mainly cultural – not inborn. Chinese people are incredibly smart, hard-working and ambitious. That is why they adapt so well to the freedoms of Western culture.
China could be so much more than it is by adopting Western freedoms. But the mafia organization otherwise known as the Chinese Communist Party cannot allow that because it would mean losing control.
The Chinese diaspora, IMHO, has a role to play here. China has been caught trying to manipulate Western politics but things can also go the other way.
Just sayin’.
The Chinese carry with them the long tradition of a State of Confucian. Hard for them to separate into a Western worldview.
“Chinese people not innovating or creating.”
i think that is a highly uninformed statement, honestly.
“China has been caught trying to manipulate Western politics but things can also go the other way.”
spoiler alert: it HAS gone the other way for decades. the west has been manipulating what they do forever.
I 100% agree with Sundance
The diaspora has a role to play?
Would that be before or after the CCP kills all of their relatives as retaliation?
When I lived in China, I heard several times that the 100m super rich + the 200m middle class do not want the 800m dirt poor people to control the government. That is why these groups generally support the cn.gov as is. Also heard (and posted here before) in China its not copyright, it’s Copy Is Right. Likewise R/D = Receive and Duplicate. I can tell many stories about reverse engineering all types of products, even at good companies that I’ve worked for.
My Chinese neighbour, who I would guess is in the 200 or so million crowd told me shortly after moving in across the street, and getting to know a bit about me.
Asked if I knew of the five levels of banking in China.
I did not and to that he went on to explain in general terms how that worked..
Odd, although we here in Canada don’t have that, are more than well aware that wealthier folks get “ better deals” on mortgage rates and terms.
Lower investment fees etc.
Always keeping them a little ahead of “ the curve”
Cheers!
I don’t trust the Chinese. Look at Wu in Boston. She is happy with instituting Communism in Boston.
The problem is not with Wu instituting Communism in Boston.
The problem is the majority in Boston gleefully accepting her actions.
I have been working closely with a handful of people in China.
One is a woman in her low 30s who reports to me.
She is the hardest worker I have ever known. Super smart and committed to the company.
The others all work at 90-95% of her commitment, basically 2x my American team (and 3x of Europeans!)
My opinion is most of what Sundance says about China workers is true. However, the point of “innovation” might need adjustment. They can creatively solve problems when the variables are mostly known (explains why the excel at reverse engineering and copying IP).
For “pure” innovation, if they build that skill, they will dominate the globe.
“For “pure” innovation, if they build that skill, they will dominate the globe.”
Yeah, they’ve already figured that out. They’ve had a nation-wide program in effect for a few years, “Made in China 2025.”
“To achieve the stated goals, a number of specific policies have been implemented, including:[28]
Policy support for Made in China 2025 has also included government guidance funds, national laboratories, and state funded incentivization for research grants.”
thanks for sharing that. Those will help, but ultimately the “culture” will need to shift where people can feel free to take risks, ask questions, etc. Hopefully it won’t happen any time soon.
China wouldn’t have anything if America didn’t buy their cheap ass sht.
🎯
If not for First Nixon and then Clinton opening up US for China, world would have been in a better shape.
We can thank Bill Clinton .
We can thank Bill Clinton .
And . . . Bush, Inc.
Plenty of credit/blame to go around.
0.o
Henry Kissinger.
Unfortunately most of the ingredients of medicines consumed in US come from China
Stephen… this directory has links to excellent USA Made things in every necessary category…
REJECT CHINESE CRAP… MAGA
{ https://madeintheusamatters.com }
They wouldn’t be half as strong as they are now. The oligarchs made elm rich at our expense. Period
lnteresting comment Bob T.
If America stops buying their junk and Trumps tariffs go ito effect will China have the money to keep buying Russian oil or much of aything.
.
The United States also has an incredible geographical advantage for success, from where it’s situate, to the extensive ocean coastline, to natural ports, navigable rivers, and raw materials. There are a number of good youtube videos on this. Here’s one:
.
Thanks for sharing this video – powerfully relevant FACTS and one more reason that American Exceptionalism IS.
I remember finding & bringing this one to CTH a couple of years ago – more details on the topic & many salient comments 40:06
”China is now evacuating some of the 300,000+ Chinese citizens from the region, and the Chinese embassy is urgently warning people about the escalating crisis.”
Too much salt.
https://www.google.com/search?client=firefox-b-e&q=how+many+chinese+live+in+angola
”The number of Chinese citizens living in Angola has significantly decreased from a peak of around 300,000 to less than 20,000. This decline is attributed to factors like the drop in oil prices, changes in Angola-China relations, and rising crime.
Here’s a more detailed breakdown:
Peak:
Estimates suggest that around 300,000 Chinese citizens, mostly workers, resided in Angola during the post-civil war construction boom, particularly between 2010 and 2014.
Decline:
Following the 2014 oil price crash and shifts in Angola’s economic policies, the Chinese population in Angola began to shrink.
Current Estimates:
By 2022, the population was estimated to be below 20,000. Some sources suggest a slightly higher number, around 50,000, but the overall trend shows a substantial reduction.
Reasons for Decline:
The decrease is linked to the decline in oil prices, which affected Angola’s economy and its ability to fund infrastructure projects that relied on Chinese labor and materials. Additionally, rising crime and a recalibration of Angola-China relations under the presidency of João Lourenço also played a role.”
Something, something, mass immigration…
Great analysis.
They are also organized to benefit not the workers, but the military dictatorship, who are btw Han Supremacist racists.
Our Elite Kowtow Class kept telling us market freedom would make them more like America, but America became more like them; Gain-of-Fauci Mad Science, Censorship, social credit Scores, political oppression,
my Bruce Lee absetc.Isn’t it funny how our government tried to sell us on the idea of building up China’s economy, at the exact same moment they told us that we have to “get tough with Russia”, which had just thrown off the shackles of communism?
Isn’t it funny how our government uses Cold War style rhetoric to scare us about post Soviet Russia becoming “dangerously too Christian”?
Actually NOT funny! The Cold War left us with a nasty rash of War-mongers who love body-bags and the trumpets playing over our national cemeteries, backed up by ultra-greedy Boards and shareholders of the MIC corporations. They are powerful, evil and have no use for us rather than pay taxes and breed the next generation of cannon-fodder. If we don’t find a way to reduce them, God will!
Cheap chyna junk is really for the (illegal) immigrants…cheap stuff they need to set up an American household, brought to you by
Big Box, Inc.
The Han Chinese are virulently racist.
Sounds just like BlackRock in Ukraine.
lol, what do you expect? Great Society my rats a.. will bite you everytime.
LBJ was nothing but trouble, imho.
Johnson was absolute scum.
Excellent summary, Sundance.
The Treehouse has supplied me with so much information on so many issues, deep dives and background.
Thank you!
You might not realize it, but China is an extremely dependent nation.
Yes, dependent on their citizen slaves. Sundance speaks about the compliance mindset and one could say it comes from the communist oppression but that oppression is in reality forced labor. Do this or else!
Instead of the leaders encouraging prosperity so they can skim the money from entrepreneurism, they force the assembly work, skim a limited pool of money, inevitably it is doomed to fail. I see it much like a Ponzi scheme. If the income coming in can’t pay the out costs, it crumbles.
This is another clear example of communism/socialism failing.
Explains why China wants to invade Taiwan.
The trouble for China is if they now don’t now leverage their expanded military capability, the same way the imperialists did, this will only encourage similar behaviour in other countries, who are beginning to tire of Chinese economic priorities coming before their interests.
China may find herself fighting on the opposite side of the kind of liberation conflicts, she so actively encouraged and supplied, facing the same dilemmas of how to react, especially when their citizens are threatened and killed. Wonder how the Western leftists, who constantly demonstrated against Western Imperialism and supported African ‘freedom fighters’, will react to any aggressive Chinese response, especially if some of the groups resisting are also Islamic.
A good friend of mine was born in Portugal At the age of six. He an. His family immigrated to angola, then a portuguese colony. He told me how, at the age of 19, one day, they were living their lives as normally as we I do here in the United States and the next day they were running for their lives. I have always taken that story into account because it could happen anywhere.
Yes, it is a very dependent nation.
It’s dependent upon its citizenry going along with the program. The deal has always been “you give us control; we’ll make you rich/richer”.
It worked for a long time, but that time may be at an end — hence the increasing authoritarianism being displayed in China; there’s a lot of societal unrest (not reported upon of course).
As for Africa (and S. America): the Chinese are indeed making themselves very unwelcome. People are beginning to wake up to the fact that all that ‘white supremacist colonial oppressors” was just talk…the Chinese have not only pillaged their wealth but off load their cheap goods (and cheap building projects) on them too (doesn’t just happen in America).
I was watching 2 Way the other day when a caller from Africa said the Chinese influence was growing to the point that school children were learning the Chinese language.
Apparently empire building the new way isn’t working out for the CCP….
Be prepared to see it being done the old way….they are communists after all…
I hate to say it but our own economy is dependent on so much debt, it’s also unsustainable. Not sure if I’d rather be us or the Chinese with these issues. I still believe in the United States but I am certain at this point in my life that it has been robbed, stymied, systematically repressed and forever changed by the traitors in DC over the last forty years. There is not one Democrat who is good. There are only a few Republicans who are. Most certainly, there is a lack of patriots in DC and that’s how our problems have progressed and helped build China and destroy us. Anyhow, this is a pretty good analysis but we have so many problems of our own, it’s hard to fathom China is any worse than us.
Agree. We’ve all read the Harry Truman quote, “show me a politician who gets rich from serving in government and I’ll show you a crook.” (Paraphrase) Uni-party all seem to be in on it. Fiat & the monster deficit could be our undoing. Let Japan, UK, Chyna, etc. start selling our treasuries. All it would take is a chink in the armor. Our little debt house of cards could come tumbling down. It would get very ugly. Our fiat system & spineless politicians have handed our children & grands a precarious future. Trust in God’s love. Read your Bible & pray. Collect pms & brass. Keep a well stocked root cellar. Always be on yellow alert. PS, another insightful & thoughty post by the Professor!
China and their overwhelming need to “build stuff”…makes me wonder…
just how much of “that stuff” is being stored (hoarded?) in those “bonded warehouses”, (currently ‘untariffed’)…. that
I ranted on a few days ago? Where I had a situation that I noticed a product purchased had already well passed by the expiration date, for the implied company product warranty.
Buyer beware.
I’m very glad to see this issue presented here. Thank you, Ben, and as always, hugs to Sundance.
As I understand it based on reports from credible sources there, many Jamaican citizens are angry about the impacts of chinese belt and road meddling in that Caribbean country’s affairs and operations.
It’s encouraging to see the people of nations affected by the chinese takeover of their lives standing up and speaking out against it.
If the chinese economy is in fact as bad as some say it is, It will have a difficult time retaliating against the countries it’s absorbing, so the more countries who stand up now and say “no more” the better.
I’ve seen this first hand. First time when I was visiting Jamaia in 2010 on vacation. Every large newer building had Chinese writing on it. I asked what was going on, and the guide said, with a bit of anger, that the Chinese were taking over everything.
Then when I was there in 2016 it was even worse and the people were still not happy with the Chinese influence there.
I can see them rising up and doing the same thing.
Yes, it’s sad to see.
And when the Jamaicans rise up they don’t play around.
Tiny low IQ Jamaica resists Chinese meddling but huge rich America just bows down and submits to Chinese takeover. Hmmm
Sundance, my metaphor for so many of your posts is the Black Monolith from 2001: A Space Odyssey!
I feel like one of those apes touching that thing and suddenly I’m understanding the underpinnings of the Chinese economy!
The only thing missing is an orchestra playing the Blue Danube Waltz!
Big trouble in little China.
This piece would fit nicely into a one semester overview of China’s weaknesses at any one of our military’s War Colleges.
Mao and his “Little Red Book” cultural revolution started China on this path. Trying to exploit the corrupt governments in Africa to their advantage will be like trying to herd cats. Is the CIA involved in this unrest in Angola against the Chicoms ? They should be as communist China is our real enemy, not Russia.
Lets see if China is willing to project their military power abroad.
Me thinks not.
One of the most dangerous situations in the current global status is the CCP/Xi losing its grip. Think that the CCP will go quietly into that night?
Nope, the CCP and Xi won’t go quietly into the night. They will come up with something big to distract from the problems that might cause them to lose their grip. Like invading Taiwan or something like that.
Whenever we see a people rise up against anything, we have to look closer for anything that might look like CIA and its color revolutions. Not saying this is the case, but the act of “people rising up” isn’t as easy as you would think.
Go find out what portion of the colonists actually wanted to rebel against the king of England… it was actually NOT a majority… not even close. But what DID happen, just as in the US civil war, was that one side started warring indiscriminately and CREATING opposition forces as they did. THAT is how the US revolution actually happened and how the US civil war actually happened.
All of that underlying communist economic weakness is good to share and know.
They continue on, by initially investing in small amounts – and then taking away, in very large amounts
…Until the communists run out of other peoples money, property etc.
However, the minds of c p are persistent, strong.
Similar to the Japanese people in the 1930’s, 40’s
the people of communist party of china have a strong family honor.
[ each person will go to great efforts to protect the family honor (and any virtue, rule, policy, law, intellectual property secret or patent, animal or person, church etc.
can be sacrificed to save that honor,
so as to avoid becoming a forever disgrace to the family honor.
Do not under estimate the determination.]
There are some ethnic Uyghurs within china (that blend in)
and others that think more independently – but have to have a low profile to survive amongst the c c p which dominates the country (and other countries too). Many do not succeed in the low profile….
And not broadly reported,
the vatican ha$ an unpublicized deal with the c c p.
(for instance a picture of ix is ok to display in c c p areas, but a picture of jesus is not o.k.)
Get the picture?
Patience is a virtue.
Angola must have held their powder, stayed discrete, laid low and peacefully integrated for quite awhile, years…
during the planning, and before
deciding to implement a rebellion against the c c p occupiers….
[ otherwise, the c c p would have been ready to thwart any build up of a angolan rebellion – and they would not have shown what happened.
as in, the world public (not) seeing the full Tiananmen square event…]
The c c p has other (untold) tentacles too in the world … in play….
imho
Love thy neighbors…
Long story short: this is a pattern that emerges in certain societies, as Thomas Sowell has pointed out. I have been waiting for it for a couple of years now, and here it is. It won’t just be African countries where the Chinese find themselves at bay.
Africa always wins!
Anarchy always wins?
Good question Monticello.
Chaos, violence, brutality and murder is not much of a win.
He said anarchy, not chaos. They don’t mean the same thing.
Always? Is this a sarcastic comment? I don’t think Africa (or any African country/government) always wins. Quite the contrary, any time they attempt to be fully independent, it seems to fail. I only know of Liberia, Zimbabwe and S.Africa of course… so I could be wrong that all other African governments have no issues with violence and regime change or islamic forces taking over?
Xi has been helping hs ally Putin a lot lately. Will Putin return the favor? Can Putin return the favor ?
On August 16th, Sundance wrote an article on “BRICS and Ukraine” and by the time I was able to read it, it was too late to comment. I too have commented on here about the BRICS nations but I will say, Sundance nailed it when he described the purpose of the BRICS.
I made a comment a couple of weeks ago talking about BRICS and our “King” Dollar and why it’s not going anywhere just yet. Read this excellent example from Martin Armstrong and hopefully we can all put an end to the de-dollarization nonsense. You’ll actually learn more than anyone you know when it comes to the US Dollar and Global Investments.
https://www.armstrongeconomics.com/world-news/brics/the-laughable-joke-about-brics/
Sundance, sadly, was part of that de-dollarization nonsense—despite it having been dropped from the BRICS agenda a couple of years ago when they realized the futility of the endeavor. There is ZERO chance of de-dollarization in the short or medium term, As for the long term, no other fiat currency presently has the ability to supplant the USD. I’ve posted the details on this a few times on this site but can do so again, if anyone still holds this fear.
3rd to last paragraph: “at all costs.”
Sundance forgot one thing on this. The “at all costs” is also about getting dollars. Almost all of the PRC’s external debt is in U.S. Dollars. It cannot be serviced without exports.
And, most if not all of the dollars reserves have been spent over the past 10 years. I.e. the selling of treasuries.
They’ve been spent? As of April, China held 757.2 billion in USD.
The 800 lb Panda in the room isn’t that China’s economy is unbalanced. It is that the US economy is far more unbalanced. Even our national defense is heavily reliant on, you guessed it, the Chinese. 35 TRILLION in Debt, yet we as a nation build virtually nothing compared to the Chinese economy. If “One Belt/One Road” is so bad, what is our answer to it? “Shock and Awe?” America postures that China is threatening Taiwan, somehow forgetting the official US Government position is that Taiwan is part of China. It was recognized as such since Nixon. Out of the other side of our mouth we boast about our incursions into Iran, Iraq, Syria, support Israel in their bombing adventures on most of their neighbors, Libya, Grenada, Vietnam , ad nauseam. We need to open our eyes and get to work cooperating instead of bullying. The British Empire was as big as ever, fresh from a big win in the Great War, and all of a sudden, the Empire collapsed. Americas day of reckoning probably is also not far off.
Bingo!
Spot-on analysis.
The China “Belt & Road Initiative” works well with the African “Loot & Load Initiative” by stealing everything built by others and then promptly running it into the ground and destroying it!
Are you sure you are not referring to the Palestinians? Or at least also referring to the Palestinians?
“Essentially China’s “Belt and Road” initiative is a system of China putting massive infrastructure investment funds into a targeted country in exchange for their ability to extract resources needed for Chinese expansion, and to make citizens of that targeted country slaves to China while remaining in their own country by extracting resources needed for Chinese expansion.”
Napoleon, Hitler all suffered defeat from more or less the same truth. In fact, I would posit that military regimes from Rome on down understood extremely well how crucial the logistics of supply are for success.
You will not find it difficult to prove that battles, campaigns, and even wars have been won or lost primarily because of logistics.
So true GwenEcho.
On D-Day while the Allies were buy hitting the beach, French resistance fighters were busy blowing up bridges and damaging roads to make them impassble so the German army could not resupply.
The Generals knew that a stable supply system was important
They will learn dealing with tribal people. Offend one, offend them all. Just like they made a hero of George Floyd. Now do that to a whole continent
I think the people of Africa know they could never apply for Chinees citizenship. Not successfully anyway.
Poor Panda.
Be nice if the citizens of Great Britain were as angry, and willing to act in their own best interest.
I have been expecting this result. Prior incidents have happened. Chinese people are RACIST. Black people in Africa perceive this bias. Blacks in Africa are typically poor, uneducated and unskilled. When you pay low, low wages than you get what you pay for. I have seen this in other countries such as the Philippines. You go to the grocery store and there is a Cashier, a helper, a bagger, etc. They are all paid poorly and perform on low output. Blacks take there frustration out in a more active manner. I have a brother in law who works in Papua New Guinea where the workers are black. BIL has had to hide under desks when the workers are mad because the pay checks are late or other issues. At least one Chinese supervisor has been murdered. Supervisors are mostly Chinese, workers are black and BIL is filipino. I think being filipino has saved his life more than once.
Just for reference, Papuans may have black skin, but they have no link to black Africans. There is a mix of ethnic identities in New Guinea, but no African at all. The Papuans are descendants of the indigenous races resident before other races came to their islands–similar to American Indians.
But their skin is black and that’s all that matters to the Chinese