When elephants fight, the mousedeer thrives

 SINGAPORE: There is a Malay and Indonesian saying that “when elephants fight, the mousedeer in the middle dies”.

With geopolitical tensions between the United States and China escalating sharply last week, Singapore as the mousedeer between the American and Chinese elephants will need to be especially nimble to survive....

Today, China is the focus. The anti-China narrative is stoked by uninformed and tendentious reporting by Anglophone media. It is no surprise that China is seen as an enemy by Americans.  

In the US-China conflict, much has been made of the Thucydides Trap, which holds that a rising power and an incumbent power must clash.

To characterise China as a rising power is mistaken. It is a returning power. The psychology is different. Misdiagnosing the problem risks exacerbating it. That misdiagnosis is a result of historical ignorance.

The above is from an article in CNA titled 'Commentary: Singapore, the mousedeer in the middle as US-China hostilities deepen' by Professor Walter Woon, Singapore’s Ambassador to Germany, the European Union, Belgium, the Netherlands, Greece and the Vatican between 1998 and 2006.

Traditionally, the poor mousedeer risked being trampled and crushed by the two elephants. Today's realpolitik offers the mousedeer a better chance to survive and even coming out better because China is there to provide better alternatives and options for the mousedeer. China not only is able to stand in the way of the ravaging American beast, China, being the world's biggest factory, can sell to the rest of the world all the goods and services, better and cheaper, that the world needs. The world does not need to be held hostage by the American beast when they can buy everything from China.

This tariff war started by the unthinking Trump regime is going to hurt the Americans many times more than the rest of the world and likely to bring about a faster collapse of the American economy and Empire. The poor American consumers are now forced by the authoritarian regime to buy goods from China and the world at very high prices which Trump lied, that the tariffs would be paid by China and the sellers.

On the other hand, China would now have huge advantage to sell everything to the rest of the world at lower or no tariffs prices, to benefit the whole world. This dimwit Trump is a menace not only to the world but also to the Americans. Good luck to the hillbillies.

The second point mentioned by Prof Woon on the US China conflict and the western interpretation of the Thucydides Trap is flawed from China's perspective but very real to the white savages with a DNA for wars and conquest. As pointed out by Prof Woon, the Chinese psychology and perception of the world are very different, a result of historical ignorance by the white men. Just because they were savages, does not mean that Chinese are savages. They can lie and lie to demonise China, but historically, China has no ambition of conquering or colonising any country. Or else, the Philippines would have been a part of China. It was the white savages that ravages the whole world and still doing so, committing crimes against humanity and genocide in Gaza.

But the unthinking Anglophiles would simply believe and take the white men's view that China would be like the white savages as the truth. Where is the evidence? The white men may lie and fabricate false evidence to demonise China ... the daft Anglophiles need to wake up and think and look at reality. China does not have ambition to be a world hegemon and is pushing for a multipolar world. China has studied the falls of Empires and know how futile such an aggressive adventure is and has openly said that China would NOT be a hegemon to bully the world.

The mousedeer is likely to survive this reckless tariff war and comes out better off, provided they did not choose to become cannon fodder for the American terrorists. This crisis is providing the world a great opportunity to reset and establish a new world order for the good of the Global South. The BRICS countries have its role cut out to be the alternative to the American controlled post war organisations that are now defunct and irrelevant.

China is well prepared to take on the once in 4 years Washington clowns

 China must continue to develop its domestic demand, which is very important move in the face of external threats, which may come at any time. Trump's tariffs are one example of such external threat that China must keep planning to overcome and not wait for the event to take place before it happens. Thankfully, China is ready this time and already well prepared for it.

Having said that, China is also doing right in upgrading and increasing its military spending. Just treat those howling and fabrication by others regarding China's increase military budget and consider them as mere irritants or noises. China's action is for its own protection which it needs, not to cater to what others wants to force China to do to suit their agenda. Whatever military alliances China is forging has no basis for others to complain about. Not with Russia, not with ASEAN, not with the Pacific Islands. Chinese Defense Minister, Dong Jun, is visiting Vietnam to enhance defense ties further, his second visit so far.

The USA and the West can keep speculating and downsizing China's weapon system developments, fighter jets and aircraft carriers, calling them junks. If they are junks, why bother with them, am I right? Without the usual spying ability resulting from China's cutting off Western spying with its 5G and dismantling of Western loopholes using Western apps, the West is now using speculation when talking about Chinese fighter jets and aircraft carriers, by just using satellite images to cull their information.

Anonymous

Trump has forgotten to take his medicine for screw loose

 Quack Dr Trump is now prescribing medicine for the world with his tariffs cure. Too bad, China is not taking the medicine he prescribed which is making Dr. Trump furious and may Dr Quack may need to take his own mental health prescriptions soon.

Trump even failed to force little Mexico to pay for his wall and sheepishly he had to find ways to pay for it, with USA taxpayers footing the bill eventually.

Trump is now seen failing to end the Ukraine War as well, despite his huge boasting about ending it within 24 hours, despite having to kiss Putin's arse. There was a funny cartoon of Trump on all fours kissing Putin's arse this morning. I couldn't find it trying to go back to it. That is another big stab into his ego, and he is using the tariff war to divert global attention. When his tariff plans to destroy China fails, which it will, war with China is his next diversion. Now India is taking up the USA cue with conflict with China escalating. What about Japan igniting the call to have a NATO Asia to counter China? Everything points to the USA intent on taking on China at all costs.

Now, let us not imagine that China is just sitting around and twiddling its thumb in the face of all these provocations. China saw what is coming and is not following Nero fiddling while Rome burns. China is ready for any war with the USA, which shows the confidence that China has today.

Anonymous

Don Trump, the mafia godfather, wants people to beg him and he decides 3/7, 4/6 or whatever in his favour

 Vietnam's offer of reciprocal zero tariffs between them and USA is not going to work and will fail miserably. It is no point for Vietnam to kiss Trump's arse, knowing that Vietnam is basically an extension of China's manufacturing reach outside the mainland. To agree to a zero tariff defeats all the purpose of those tariffs, whose main objective is countering China and its investment worldwide.

Mexico is also not going to succeed in negotiations with the USA over tariffs. Trump is now raising another issue to cloud the negotiations, claiming that Mexico is not supplying enough water from the Rio Grande to USA farmers under an agreement, and he will not compromise on his tariff threat if water supply by Mexico is not according to the agreed level. This is all knowing that China has big investments in Mexico which Trump is targeting.

All the talk about countries negotiating with the USA are basically nothing more than going to see these countries getting insulted while masquerading as negotiating, with the USA making all the talking and demands and stuffing them down the throats of the arse lickers. Trump will ask them 'Does my arse smell nice and 'kiss baby kiss' LOL. How many countries does not have any Chinese investments that could therefore escape the tariffs?

Anonymous

TikTok - China cannot capitulate under coercion

  What would become of China if it were to sell its national asset, TikTok, when forced to by the Americans? A superpower on par and better than the Americans in many aspects, cannot be seen to be a weakling, to crumble under external pressure. It would be a big blow to Xi as the President of China to be cowed into submission to sell a national asset, the pride of Chinese innovation, against its interests and will.

Losing TikTok to the Americans under such circumstances is as good as losing a piece of Chinese territory in a war, a trade war. This is completely unacceptable. National assets and territory are not negotiable and not for sale. 

Trump and his gangsters must as well forget about their forceful takeover of TikTok. The whole deal is now so sour, no longer a commercial transaction, but a political issue, to rob China of its prized asset by force.

TikTok would forever be in the hands of China and Chinese companies. Period. And this would apply to other Chinese big name companies like Huawei, DJI, BYD etc etc. The war with the Americans is now an open war though undeclared. It is de facto war on all fronts. The decoupling of the two economies would be complete. China now has no fear of tariffs or sanctions, have no delusion that it can still do business with the Americans. Any business between the two states is likely to be done through third parties. All investments in both countries are likely to cease, and all existing businesses is likely to be downgraded and curtailed.

China would now have no apprehension on what it wants to do with its national and international policies. This clean break would allow China to act independently without having to consider how the Americans would react or respond. It is a step closer to open hostility and war. China will now execute all its plans to reclaim all the islands in the South China Sea and the reunification of Taiwan in double speed.

What is there to hold back when all the fictitious and fake negotiations with the American terrorists are no longer needed, and China only needs to strengthen its military for an open war with the Americans? China will now fight this war to the end. In 1950, China was so weak and poor, coming out from the ruins of destruction by the Japanese invasion and civil war. Mao was strong and determine to fight the Americans to the end in the Korean War. 

China today is as strong and, in many fields, stronger than the Americans. If a weak and poor China could defeat the Americans and 18 crony states in 1950, China today can take on the Americans and its crony states and still win with hands down. The ignorant hillbillies in Washington can still daydream and lie to themselves, and believing how strong the Americans are, but did not know that America is history today.