[Jack Hammer]

Any relation to Buck Showalter?

[ptsal]

Perhaps, the multinational corn/bean/agro-chemical outfits have had an awakening?

[Kommodor]

I’ve sometimes wondered why the Chinese haven’t taken a more colonial route. It seems like it would solve a lot of ‘problems’ for them.

Find a needy country/content in need of exploitation, send ‘workers’ to help build stuff, ‘vitalize’ the economy, etc. Set aside the ‘one-child’ policy for those who are willing to, ahem, help out overseas ... breed like ... yeah.

And eventually, subjugate/replace the existing population and voila, new Chinese territory. With a billion people on tap, it seems as though it would be easy for them.

For that matter, I’m surprised they haven’t offered to set up a new co-development industrial center somewhere in the Midwest rust belt, build a factory for (consumer electronic goods, presumably), import thousands of workers, build a dynamic neo-industrial utopia on the shores of the ol’ rust belt river. A few years ago they probably could have taken over (or bought) Detroit if they wanted to.

Kind of surprised they haven’t. Go figure.

[KarlInOhio]

What's interesting is that China has gotten these countries hooked on its debt-trap diplomacy, often by taking advantage of the ingrained anti-Americanism of the third-world elites running these places.

Now campare that with our debt to the Chinese and the ingrained anti-Americanism of our elites.