[LatteLazy]

I don't think you're wrong but...

Good luck convincing the average consumer (voter) to do without for a while and then pay more after that. They'll lynch you if they can't get the latest iTurd for 499.99 plus tax.

Also, as long as the CCP run China, they'll be stronger than the west (consumerism and short-termism and Chinese abuses of them aren't just US issues). We need them to democratise, consumer domestically and sort out other issues (wet markets, treatment of minorities). That's the long term win here. Convincing them to treat Google and Uber fairly is nice but it's not going to make them reasonable partners in 2,5,10,50 years time...

[hello_moto]

Wet markets is a too general/vague.

Wet markets exist are all over the world with similar setup like the one in China.

[LatteLazy]

That's a fair comment. I used it as I wanted a noun short enough to fit in a list.

Maybe it's better to go even vaguer though: "food hygiene standards so low they keep causing pandemics".

[hello_moto]

Actually, wet markets in Asia have the same health standards like the ones in China: close to none ;).

Covid19 spread faster, unfortunately. There are quite a few viruses/infectious diseases spreading in Asia that didn't made it big-time like Covid19.

[ClumsyPilot]

Perhaps we should get a hanfle on short-termist and consumerism before they doom us, with or without China

[LatteLazy]

I'd like that. I actually think Chinas rise is one of the things that will make us do that. Similarly, some environmental catastropy might. Not sure how else it will happen.