• AssortedBiscuits [they/them]
    ·
    a year ago

    China has gained an arrogance in thinking that it is too big to fail. It is a form of Trumpism on a national scale. One where it thinks it can just ignore normal restraints due to the influence it has on the world. Russia has woken the west up to this reliance on rogue states. There will be a slow move away from relying on China as a manufacturing base for cheaper goods. The EU and the US have already stated this publicly. If China continues on the path it is choosing then the west will close ranks. This is not in the interests of anyone globally.

    Nobody is going to replace China as the manufacturing base. "B-b-b-but Vietnam" There's like two Chinese provinces with a larger population than Vietnam. Vietnam can't even replace two provinces individually, let along the entire country. "B-b-b-but India" India is the world's provider of IT services, not a manufacturing juggernaut by any means. This manufacturing base is not going to poof into existence. And as for the Russian invasion of Ukraine, all it showed is that the West is far more vulnerable and the "rogue states" (ie the rest of the world) don't need to concern themselves with the West for long. Why do you think so many Nigeriens are waving around Russian flags and why so many countries are tripping over themselves to join BRICS? Do you think it's a coincidence that the Nigerien coup was launched while France is still recovering from domestic riots?

    • Frank [he/him, he/him]
      ·
      a year ago

      India is also in the middle of a destabilizing Fascist takeover by a ethno-religious reactionary force that took evolution out of the text books. They're also going to continue to suffer horribly due to climate change. Bangladesh, right on the border, is one of the primary candidates for an apocalyptic wet bulb event that could potentially kill millions of people and drive millions of more to flee.

    • Syldon@feddit.uk
      ·
      a year ago

      China was a backwards nation 20 years ago. Much like India, or most countries in Africa today. The EU are not talking about moving their purchases to other cheap countries; They want that manufacturing base in the EU. If they expand the block in the right countries, then this may be a reality China has to deal with. The aggressive policies China is adopting is what is causing this.

      • jack [he/him, comrade/them]
        ·
        a year ago

        It was China's central planning and independent economic policy that caused it to develop. Those other countries are crippled by Western-imposed neoliberalism designed to keep them from developing.

        • Frank [he/him, he/him]
          ·
          a year ago

          Yeah, the idea that western neoliberal economies are capable of anything other than self-destructive auto-cannibalism is farcical. How is Blackrock supposed to jack up quarterly profits by building things?!! The UK is already speedrunning a return to a medieval economy. France is fighting for it's life to retain it's colonial possessions. Berlin answers to DC. And the rest of Europe doesn't matter.

      • st0v@lemmy.zip
        ·
        a year ago

        maybe 40 years ago. but 20 years ago was 2003. China was not like India or Africa is now.