The US looks a lot like… Communist China
China sent a fresh batch of troops into Hong Kong on Thursday, and its military issued a statement saying its Hong Kong Garrison will “resolutely follow” the central government’s instructions.
- China sends fresh troops into Hong Kong as military pledges to protect ‘national sovereignty” – CNBC
WASHINGTON — The Pentagon said Saturday it was ready to provide military help to authorities scrambling to contain unrest in Minneapolis, where George Floyd's death has sparked widespread protests, but Gov. Tim Walz has not requested federal troops.
By JM Hamilton (5-31-2020)
Quite possibly one of the few positive notes – in an otherwise catastrophic & dystopian week, here in America - was seeing the US, and many allies, finally begin to stand up to Communist China. It was long overdue; it was necessary for economic & national security reasons and for moral reasons. China has gotten away w/ mercantilism for decades… reaping the rewards of a first world power, while not being held accountable for human rights and trade abuses. Stealing technology from Western multinationals… while insisting that Western businesses operating on China’s soil play, exclusively, by their rules has for too long been tolerated.
Moreover, China is continually cracking down on its citizens and minorities. Faced w/ a nasty pandemic & trade tensions, we are seeing China’s communist leadership’s ugly side.
Could it get worse? We are still in the early innings of the pandemic, if not the bottom of the first, and China’s communists will want to do everything possible to distract its citizens from a viral economic, financial, and political crisis. And so it is with Mr. Trump… our POTUS has talked smack about China for many years. But notably, it wasn’t until his own administration’s poll numbers began to drop – as a result of its handling of the pandemic – that Trump decided to, finally, turn up the heat against China.
Was it warranted…? Yes.
Is the timing suspect…? Yes.
Did Trump go far enough… Not by a long shot.
While Trump and Pompeo are about to tee off on Hong Kong, which arguably will penalize China, the trade sanctions against mainland China appear to have gone missing. In regards the primary advocates of globalism and the Chinese government … the wishes of the US Chamber and the preeminence of the stock market – at least in Trump’s eyes - appear to have influenced the administration’s decision making (not to mention, major US donors in bed w/ the communist government).
This provides a quick overview for my central point, which is the remarkable similarities that exist between the two nations, China & the United States. It came to me as I was watching military forces – indeed, a police state - beat on peaceful protestors in Hong Kong and on the citizens of Minneapolis, Minnesota. Which got me thinking about other areas of commonality the two superpowers share.
Here’s what I came up with.
Both nations are run by oligarchy. It’s no accident that many of China’s ruling party, that operate w/in the National People’s Congress, are very wealthy… just as it is no accident that many of the members of the US Congress are millionaires. Communist China’s legislative body has, at least, 100 billionaires (in US dollars), as of 2017. The US congress has no billionaires but lots and lots of multi-millionaires.
China and the US are both governed, for all intents & purposes, by one party rule. China is run by the Communist Party of China. In the US, we have the political duopoly, which - despite fighting over social issues (this keeps citizens at each other’s throats, the MSM happy, and the illusion of choice alive) – often vote in lockstep. The Dems & the GOP are virtually indistinguishable when voting upon the economic & foreign policy interests of their mutual donors: billionaires; multinationals; and of course, the military industrial complex. For reference, see the latest round of plutocratic bailouts under the CARES Act and via the FED.
Both nations, China and the US, have their share of zombie enterprises. In China, we see state run enterprises, w/ financial statements that are mysterious and opaque. Here in the states, many corporations are deep in debt and highly dependent upon government largesse to stay afloat, or rely upon the interest rate crushing polices of the FED to provide them w/ cheap debt or equity w/in the markets. These zombie enterprises, in turn, kickback to the ruling elite/politicians.
To fuel these two economies, both the US and China rely upon a pool of slave labor. The average income of a Chinese laborer is less than $15,000 (using today’s exchange rate). The average income of American labor is $48,000, but this figure is deceptive when we consider the Gig Economy, the for-profit US healthcare system, and that 40% to 50% of Americans can’t meet a $400 emergency obligation (and one in five US children living in poverty). Factor in regional differences & expense… and yes, please try making it in New York on $48,000 a year.
China and the US, both, have a nasty history of crushing and oppressing minorities, political dissent, and engaging in rampant sexism and pay disparity. China has its gulags and slave labor camps, and the US has the largest prison system in the world (followed by China), which also may house slave labor installations.
Both countries operate police & surveillance states, so as to protect billionaires, corporations, and government officials at the top of the food chain. On foreign policy, does China bully its neighbors? Does America push around its allies? The answer, yes to both.
And the list of similarities goes on and on. Looks like China’s and the United States’ pool of ruling elite have a great deal in common. Perhaps that’s why Trump, pre-pandemic, found Chairman Xi so intoxicating?
Perhaps the key, remaining, difference is freedom of speech. The very same First Amendment that the present US administration has threatened, with: litigation against reporters; its own campaign of disinformation & lies; and with threats of stronger libel laws and draconian punishment of whistleblowers. To be fair, prior administrations also have had their run ins w/ the First Amendment, the fourth estate, and whistleblowers.
Where am I going with this?
It seems very odd -- contrary to the diet of apple pie, exceptionalism, and mom we are fed daily -- that the US, increasingly, resembles totalitarian China.
Which brings us to another point of difference: The Sino – government actually fears its people. There’s a reason why the state, and Communist Party, stifles dissent and its citizens. Clearly, it is frightened. US leadership, on the other hand, appears unworried about the chaos their policies of globalism, neoliberalism, and the US empire (not to mention, the persecution of American minorities) have wrought… and whether or not it will eventually blowback? Then again, given the size of the US police & surveillance state, and the DOD budget, perhaps I’ve missed the boat, entirely.
In fact, the US oligarchy appears afraid… very afraid.
Perhaps, while the US government is blowing trillions on a country under viral siege, an economy in free fall, and Wall Street billionaires… it might be time to look at structural reforms, based upon: an economic bill of rights; human rights; Medicare for All; a Green New Deal; dismantling the largest prison system the world has ever seen, along w/ the police & surveillance state; ending trillions in welfare for Wall Street & monopolies; and pulling out of America’s endless wars?
Just for starters.
In this manner, the US would look a lot less like a, frightened, totalitarian state; and, above all, leadership would renew its commitment to the American people and the nation.
Copyright JM Hamilton Publishing 2020
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