There is a consistent pattern in Chinese history of the nation gaining great power and then just as she reaches near the point of being able to make serious moves toward seizing power on a global scale, she begins to act arrogantly towards others and herself. This arrogance eventually results in, out of nationalistic pride, attacking her own people to prove their loyalty, and eventually she does this so much and so intensely that she eviscerates herself to the point of collapse, at which time foreign nations come to feed on the rotting and decayed corpse of the previous dynasty.
This historical process only happens at most once a century, rarely ever more. However, when it does happen it is amazing to watch because one is seeing history as it happens in real time.
The Chinese have already began this process by attempting to bully her neighbors over small island disputes at the same time she has viciously began to persecute her own people using advanced military technology such as artificial intelligence and computers.
However, there are two recent stories that illustrate what has been happening. The first is the Chinese NBA scandal, which in short, is that the Chinese have banned the NBA over tweets about Hong Kong, even though a lot of Chinese love basketball. Then there is a banning of South Park because of a recent episode where some of the characters make jokes about Chinese policies.
Both of these things are seemingly very hard over-reactions from China. While dictatorial states do want control, and humor can be a weapon, there is the idea of attempting “swat a fly with an anvil”, so that one uses excessive force for no real reason, and only to one’s own destruction. However, this has been the Chinese approach- too much force, too fast, with no regard for the consequences.
Likewise, the infamous Chinese troll armies, known as “internet water armies” (look up the term on Google) are trying now to “troll” the US by saying that 9/11 was a good thing and the result of “free speech”.
Now I imagine that most Americans are not “angered” in the way that the Chinese would be. If anything, it will only encourage the Americans to be more abusive to the Chinese than ever before, and the US is in the perfect geopolitical position to do this.
Recall that China may hold a lot of US debt, but debt is only as good as the promise to pay on said debt and the ability to enforce it, and that said payments would be valuable.
Ask as simple question- What would happen if the US refused to pay?
The answer is that there is nothing that the Chinese can do to make them.
What will the Chinese do, send a naval warship to the California coast? And give the US a reason to start a war against China with nuclear weapons, as well as to justify Japan, all of NATO, and even Russia turning against her?
The only option the Chinese have that could work would be to balance the trade deficit with the US, which requires US cooperation, as she does not have to cooperate if she does not want to.
Don’t forget also that the Japanese are watching. Does one not believe that seeing such violent Chinese rhetoric that the Japanese would conveniently turn to the US and politely ask for nuclear weapons, military equipment, and the permission to rebuild the Japanese imperial force?
Examples of statement such as this to “show off” and attempt to make others “lose face” cannot but backfire and only provide justifications for vengeance.
Now one may say that such statements may be being promoted by the US as a part of a disinformation operation. This is entirely possible. However, there is a tremendous amount of anti-US animosity, so much that if there is disinformation being promoted, it is not so much something organic that has to be encouraged, but is encouraging that which is already present- the idea of helping push an already rolling boulder down a hill to make it go faster instead of preparing or attempting to force the same boulder to roll down a hill.
Let’s not forget too that China relies on US food imports, as well as food imports from the rest of the Western world in the form of soy and pork in order to survive. China may have the third most powerful military in the world, but a starving army does not fight for one’s country well.
If the US truly wanted to hurt China, all she would have to do is raise export prices for soy and pork contracts a tiny bit. Not much, just a little. It could be justified as “business expenses,” or if the people who work in the CDC would allow a new disease to be tested, another round of “swine flu” could help to cause “market fluxuations.”
The American people are watching China’s actions, and naturally they do not like them because there is no way that one could like them. They will learn not to fear, but to distrust and hate China, and in so doing justify further military expenditures on weapons preparing for war in addition to other retaliatory measures against China.
What you are witnessing right now is a historically amazing event.
You are witnessing the turning of a Chinese dynasty. Revolution is brewing before us as we speak.
Now do not be agitated, it will likely take some time- probably a decade or two -before major events happen, which will likely happen as a part of a major war.
But the fact is that revolution is highly likely, and is part of the reason why the Chinese are cracking down so hard. The government is aware of her history too, and will try to thwart the pattern. However, her current actions are not doing such, but rather seem to be aggravating it. She feigns strength because she knows that she is weak, and while she may boast and talk about her military prowess, the reality is that if a war were to start, the reality would likely involve sending tens of thousands of Chinese soldiers carrying AK-47 type rifles rushing straight into death by Japanese and American machine gun fire.
Nothing is absolute for the future, and even the most likely potential events could change. However, history is not a pattern that repeats, but a song that rhymes, and when the song of the past play their tunes, it is important to pay attention, for one can usually predict what will happen next if one has been paying attention.