[sangnoir]

> The west is slowly starting to realize something that China has realized for years; economic policy is not a question of economics but of geopolitical strategy.

I do not believe that this is a recent realization - this goes back to at least the Dutch East India company (VOC). The foundation of the British economy were the vast resources of the British Empire (read colonies) for many decades.

[tynpeddler]

It's one of those things that the west knew and then forgot in the 90's after the cold war ended and we realized how great free markets were at improving people's lives.