WhatsappFreedom of Speech is under attack – all over the world. There are very few people today who are brave enough to stand up to the powerful forces that are fighting against the rights of people to speak their minds freely. But, in all situations of oppression, there are a precious few who are willing to stand up and confront evil. This is one example of many. But it is not enough. There is a need for a large grassroots movement that will stand up and say that some countries are threats to mankind.
China is not a simple puzzle to unlock. It is so tempting to think that since China is a Communist country and the Soviet Union was a Communist country, that we need to fight them in similar ways. But this is a big mistake. There is actually very little in common between China and the former Soviet Union except for the fact that both are totalitarian countries that are based on Communism. But beyond that, there are more differences than similarities.
The most important difference is that in the last few decades, China has basically embraced a more capitalistic way of life within the shell of totalitarianism. Meaning, freedom is certainly not a central value in China. Nor is freedom of speech or expression, or freedom of religion. China seems much more focused on dominance – first in the Far East and then across the world. And now that China has it’s share of multi-millionaires, one should not assume, that freedom truly reigns. The new millionaires are not actually free people who have amassed enormous wealth. They pledge their allegiance to the Communist Party because they know that within a matter of days, their fortunes could evaporate if the heads of the Communist Party decide to crack down. So, the Communist Party of China is actually a massively efficient force of corrupt Capitalism.
This is a scary concept as so much of the way of life that we live in the West is based on goods from China that we could probably not live for more than a few months without products Made in China. We have become addicted to an enormous amount of things that come from China. Toys are just a small part of the story. Pharmaceuticals are not things we can live without. So, until the West figures out a way to create more vital goods that can compete with vital goods Made in China, and our dependence decreases on China, we are becoming more and more a world that is largely owned by China. Donald Trump’s line that China is eating our lunch is a crude way of saying that what we need to understand – the sooner the better – that with every passing day, China is becoming more and more dominant, and the West is becoming more and more dependent on China.
As opposed to the Soviet Union, the West NEEDS China. But it is not so simple. China also NEEDS the United States of America and the West as consumers. Otherwise, their economy will take a major hit So, there is room for a more long-term, nuanced and sophisticated approach to dealing with the trade imbalance issues between the West and China.
China is a country that has many evil aspects to it. But, we should not view it as the Evil Empire like Ronald Reagan described the Soviet Union. We should view China as a competing country for world economic dominance that we should work towards finding a way to share world dominance with. Yes, the key word is share – as opposed to fight. An all-out war with China should not be the last resort. It should be exactly what we want to avert at all costs. And the only way to do that is to build up a military that is so strong that China never dreams of going anywhere beyond it’s borders. Once China begins to take on an imperialistic attitude, it will be too late. Economic influence should be considered fair game. But, China should understand that if they attack India, Australia, Russia, or any other country in it’s sphere of influence, the entire free world will fight back. The best place to draw the line is Taiwan. If China tries to absorb – which means conquer – Taiwan, the free world should send all of it’s forces around China in a massive economic blockade. China will back down and peace will be insured for decades.
