In his first address to Congress on Wednesday night, President Biden took the Cold War rhetoric against Beijing to a new level and declared that the US is in competition with China to “win the 21st century.”
“We’re in a competition with China and other countries to win the 21st century,” he said. Biden made the comments in his pitch for the American Jobs Plan, a massive infrastructure plan that would cost $2.3 trillion.
Biden also said he told Chinese President Xi Jinping that the US intends to militarize the Indo-Pacific region like it does Europe. “I also told President Xi that we will maintain a strong military presence in the Indo-Pacific just as we do with NATO in Europe — not to start conflict — but to prevent conflict,” he said.
The US is stepping up military cooperation with Asian countries to counter Beijing in the region. Biden held the first-ever summit of leaders from the four Quad nations; the US, Japan, India, and Australia. The Quad is seen as a potential foundation for a NATO-style military alliance in Asia.
The Biden administration has continued military provocations in sensitive waters of the South China Sea and the Taiwan Strait. Lately, US warships have been frequently spotted shadowing a Chinese aircraft carrier strike group as it transits the region.
Biden had previously framed the US-China relationship as a battle between “autocracy” and “democracy,” something he echoed on Wednesday. “Can our democracy overcome the lies, anger, hate and fears that have pulled us apart? America’s adversaries — the autocrats of the world — are betting it can’t.”
Hyping the threat of Beijing is serving the US government to also justify massive military spending. After President Biden requested an all-time high military budget of $753 billion for 2022, the Pentagon said its share of $715 billion was needed to confront China, which the Defense Department identified as the top “threat” facing the US military.
Here it is! the Deep State out of the shadows, audaciously restating Henry Luce’s formulation, the fascists’ dream, the “American century”, the realization of the 3rd Reich.
We haven’t been at war with some country for the last 200+ years for nothing. It is what we do.
JoBye, we are a Republic, learn that Perv! Also, China already won the economic war and realize the USA is on the shi# pile of history, and you and the last 3 Prezidents have cemented that. 🙁
“Republic” and “democracy” aren’t opposites. The US is a republic with (supposedly) democratic political mechanisms.
Just the last 3?
It is too late uncle Joe…!
What could possibly go wrong ??.
If the USA would spend money on roads, jobs and education in Africa and South America like China did instead of spending money on missiles the odds would even out who the winner is.
The idea that the US must “compete” is the essential myth. From early education to the ignorant offices of Langley marketing, “competition” is the guiding principal. Mankinds’ skillset, the thing that builds sustainable economy, is cooperation.
Indeed. The idea that competition is paramount— is out of barbarian tool set. Sure, human beings are competitive, but there is a difference between healthy drive to succeed — competing with oneself, and unhealthy lack of teamwork and lack if capacity to collaborate.
As many are espousing the idea that privatizing everything would make life better and cheaper, without state doing bad things — what happens when the privatized functions falter, as competition gets ruthless?
It is not possible that one nation will forever be good at everything. Just not possible. Is our plan to always be militarily superior — so when being deficient at something— we can just force others to fork over whatever we need?
May work for a while, but it deprives others of the fruits of their labor, their economic and human development. They will feel used like batteries— to produce for us, and then be thrown away. No progress, no hope for better tomorrow, Not historically sustainable.
Look at what has happened to Taiwanese chip manufacturer, the best in the world — after we forbade them to produce Huawei designed chips — and “compensated” them for the loss of business by paying billions for TMSC to open plant in Arizona! Not only that they lost big business, they are “encouraged” to build chip business for us – as we have no chip foundries in US. Meaning that they will have to provide initially workforce, and it is hardship for many to leave home, or learn foreign language. What is happening — many engineers are leaving to work for mainland China. Good pay, no language obstacle, and not too far from home.
What we need is to allow not FREE TRADE, as trade is not a person, but FREEDOM TO TRADE. One country’s right to trade or not trade with anyone based on their needs, No boycotts, sanctions, economic blockades. No telling others who to trade with, but reserve the right for oneself to partake in whatever economic pursuit one finds advantageous.
We are barreling down wrong path, as the laws of the seas are well known — we just seem to create a new “rules based order”, to apply in the morning, and abandon in the afternoon. If we just stick with UNCLOS — first ratify the Convention — then talk about disagreements in implementation,
Then, no need for policing Pacific and Atlantic, Indian and whatever other ocean we may wish to cover under our flag.
Money saved would be immense. Secure our own territory. The world wants to trade, let it. We have, to focus on wellbeing at home. Good things come when people are happy.
Yup, until a society has achieved sustainable economy, they have nothing of value to trade anyway.
“What we need is to allow not FREE TRADE, as trade is not a person, but FREEDOM TO TRADE. One country’s right to trade or not trade with anyone based on their needs”
“Countries” don’t trade, because “countries” don’t produce anything. People do. And the government that happens to have managed to get its yoke around the neck of the “country” shouldn’t get in their way, both because it’s morally wrong and because it’s bad for everyone involved, including the “country.”
The 21st century can only be won not by taking it from the Chinese, but by refraining from starting a nuclear war that would make next year humanity’s last.