[downrightmike]

China has used resources to buy alliances with developing countries, like pretty much all of Africa, which they leveraged at the UN to have the communist party recognized.

Sadly you have to start caring for things to get better first.

[nebula8804]

That will only work as long as the check clears. Anyone relying on those 'friends' better hope China never stops sending those checks. Ask the US or the USSR how that goes.

[downrightmike]

Well, sure, but like our ports and other infra that they bought up, that's what they are doing everywhere, so the checks can stop, and they retain ownership of all the economic bottlenecks

[nebula8804]

No, if things get bad enough, locals have a way of terrorizing any stable uses of those infrastructure. Again ask the US and USSR. What the hell are the Chinese going to do, perform a Gaza on the locals?

[downrightmike]

Who is currently losing their shit over reduced supply of magnets? imagine if anything gets actually cutoff

[nebula8804]

Not the poor countries that China supposedly "owns". Countries like Pakistan can't even keep the lights on. Why would they care about rare earth magnets? China provides gifts and in exchange Pakistan provides a pinky promise that will disappear as soon as the checks stop. They can't control their borders much less their crazies. And those crazies will terrorize any Chinese that try to start shit and will make it impossible to reliably take advantage of any infrastructure that China may want to use.

[spencerflem]

We used to do that too until they decided USAID should be ended.

And I’ll take recognizing a communist party over dropping napalm on em.

[azemetre]

America has used this same time period to sell out jobs to the lowest bidder, decimate its manufacturing industry to make a quick buck, is willing to sell "critical" tech to "enemies" to make a buck, make billions off of profiting from people's misery.

Why am I suppose to care that people in Africa are pushing for better worker rights and decolonialization? Because the executives as Nestle might make slightly lower money? That big tech can't extract more blood minerals? Boo hoo, it's not like this has ever benefited American citizens writ large.

Also the UN is worthless, if this is suppose to scare people you might lose your hat come election night in 2026.

[b3ing]

The companies sold out the jobs, not our government, but it hasn’t done much but make us keep blaming the poor or “colored” folks.