Quote (ofthevoid @ May 19 2026 10:01am)

Only path forward is coexistence. What i find annoying is it's typically the US that frames this in a us or them zero-sum framing. We either win which means they lost or vice versa. To me that's a nonsensical framing and i think there's a lot of special interests here in the US that stand to profiteer from that type framing and national posture. I think there's a path here for China to continue to grow and prosper while the US continues to enjoy a high level of global influence, affluence, etc.

If this coexistence comes with us having to yield places like Taiwan or south China Sea countries to the Chinese sphere, to me that's an acceptable outcome. Lets say we agree to backdoor dealings they get Taiwan but get out of South/Central America, while places like Africa, ME are basically border lands where both find some geopolitical clout, what exactly is wrong with this? Is the alternative where there's massive war and tens of millions die a better alternative? Personally i would view us as the bad guys if we are so unwilling to yield just a little to prevent wide-scale world wars.

Quote (thesnipa @ 19 May 2026 01:38)

yes and no. china is a fast ship, and they can turn fast, and accelerate fast. because they lack the bureaucratic guardrails that exist in a western democracy like the USA. but fast ships find their way onto rocks quite often.

the chinese govt is currently trying to do everything it can to remain a manufacturer on a global scale. that means more AI, more automation, more energy, etc. But with 1+ billion mouths to feed they'll feel issues that come with that trajectory faster than the USA. i'd frankly be shocked if they dont renew the 1 child policy in the next 20 years, they need to drastically reduce their population in the coming more AI driven manufacturing economy. and they need to not only match the cost of US producers, but beat it, to serve the US market. due to shipping costs.

Quote (Hamsterbaby @ May 19 2026 05:15pm)

This might sound rather horrifying to you.
You know why the Chinese is not afraid of the United States in a all out Nuclear war ?

CCP is waiting and will bait the US to launch Nukes to help them cull a decent part of their population without them doing it themselves.

Quote (TiStuff @ 20 May 2026 08:28)

thats pretty dark

Quote (Bruv @ 19 May 2026 02:26)

Plus TSMC has facilities in the mainland USA now so the real need to protect Taiwan is pretty much out the window.