China looking to build naval base on Africa’s Atlantic coast

[Legion]

China would prefer that Taiwan come under its control without a major military confrontation.

It would prefer the fait accompli it executed on Hong Kong’s relative independence.

A hot war over Taiwan would risk one of the island nation’s most important assets, the very reason anyone would want to capture Taiwan: its hammerlock on the semiconductor industry.

What should keep us all up at night is the fact that the United States does not have leaders ready for these challenges.

Joe Biden has never met a foreign-policy idea he couldn’t screw up. He has a history of trying to write off problems by resorting to the most divisive solution imaginable, the partition of nations.

Most worrisome of all is that he does not appear to be in great shape; he often looks and sounds every day of his 79 years. He could very well be succeeded by Kamala Harris — who is widely believed to be loathed by the staff of the current White House, as well as by her own staff. She is known for not doing her homework on important questions, for not standing behind her own words, and she could potentially inherit Biden’s place at the table.

World history is full of satrapies, colonies, and revisionist powers who wait until an abdication crisis, or a leadership vacuum — however temporary — before taking their big gamble. The chance of an epic miscalculation — by us, by our rivals, or by our friends — is growing by the day.

[evince]

Agreed.

I have NO IDEA why people are freaking out about Russia.
They are virtually no threat to America conventionally.

China is a MASSIVE threat to American hegemony.
They already have passed her in PPP.
https://www.globalfirepower.com/purc...wer-parity.php

Within 20-30 years (at the present rate)?
China will pass America's GDP per capita.
And when they do that?
It's over.

China will then be able to easily outbuild America militarily.

America MUST get her economy in gear...FAST.
And start to DIRECTLY challenge China militarily while she still has the edge.
Like on Taiwan, the Spratly Islands, etc..

Post three

[Celticguy]

I heard someone say the other day that our elites have decided already that China has won, and that they are folding in with China because they want to be on the right side of history.

I will add that China systematically rewards those who come onboard first, there will always be a penalty for delay.

I wonder if that is right.

trump stood up to them. you see what happened to him...

[Hawkeye10]

Agreed.

I have NO IDEA why people are freaking out about Russia.
They are virtually no threat to America conventionally.

China is a MASSIVE threat to American hegemony.
They already have passed her in PPP.
https://www.globalfirepower.com/purc...wer-parity.php

Within 20-30 years (at the present rate)?
China will pass America's GDP per capita.
And when they do that?
It's over.

China will then be able to easily outbuild America militarily.

America MUST get her economy in gear...FAST.
And start to DIRECTLY challenge China militarily while she still has the edge.
Like on Taiwan, the Spratly Islands, etc..

Russia is on Team China now, when we deal with one we are also dealing with the other, we forced them into it a few years back, because our foreign policy brain trust is completely incompetent.

[Hawkeye10]

trump stood up to them. you see what happened to him...

And the Revolution (AKA "The Biden Administration") claims to be standing up to China, but I have said from the jump that this is a charade conducted for the domestic audience.

Besides, our military is rapidly becoming useless, we could not do much even if we wanted to, and we dont.

[Hawkeye10]

trump stood up to them. you see what happened to him...

Ya.......but look at how much shit I take for my view that China will most certainly continue to kick our ass..... in part because America is now a deeply corrupt dysfunctional place, in part because our leaders have betrayed us, and in part because all of the West is dying.

Conservatives in particular can not process, they revert to their fantasy that America is still awesome.

[Celticguy]

Ya.......but look at how much shit I take for my view that China will most certainly continue to kick our ass..... in part because America is now a deeply corrupt dysfunctional place, in part because our leaders have betrayed us, and in part because all of the West is dying.

Conservatives in particular can not process, they revert to their fantasy that America is still awesome.

well America IS awesome but the gap has narrowed considerably.
So its worth China's wild to put the weakest person in power here to make sure we dont even try to stop them from doing whatever they want.
Oh, and while they're at it, weaponize some bat virus to kill off population worldwide (Africa not so much) to reduce the strain on the supply of food n water.
And get Fauci to pay for it....
That Xi definitely has a plan

[anatta]

Notice the wording....America Intel has almost no visibility on China.

Then too there is the fundamental problem that the foreign affairs braintrust does not understand the rest of the world, they lack basic competence.

well there might be more to it then just analysis, but that list is pretty extensive so the INTEL freaks aren't really saying much

[anatta]

And the Revolution (AKA "The Biden Administration") claims to be standing up to China, but I have said from the jump that this is a charade conducted for the domestic audience.

Besides, our military is rapidly becoming useless, we could not do much even if we wanted to, and we dont.

Biden still is saying China is a "competitor" while Russia is the "biggest threat"
He's an old man and old cold warrior..
But he's also corrupt if you look at the set ups Hunter did with that Chinese energy company

anyways..Xi knows Biden is weak sauce

[cancel2 2022]

I also ignore screaming 2 year olds...

The loony is starting to cotton on!

[Hawkeye10]

Biden still is saying China is a "competitor" while Russia is the "biggest threat"
He's an old man and old cold warrior..
But he's also corrupt if you look at the set ups Hunter did with that Chinese energy company

anyways..Xi knows Biden is weak sauce

Our elites either have not the first fucking clue what is going on, or else they lie about it.

Either way we are fucked, it is all over, the Chinese win.

[gemini104104]

China is reportedly looking to build a military base on the western coast of Africa , which would be its first permanent military presence on the Atlantic Ocean.

The Chinese are hoping to establish a base in Equatorial Guinea, an effort that is setting off alarm bells in the Biden administration and at the Defense Department , the Wall Street Journal reported on Sunday, citing unnamed U.S. officials.

MAJORITY BELIEVE CHINA IS US'S BIGGEST THREAT, WHILE CONFIDENCE IN MILITARY HAS PLUMMETED: POLL

“As part of our diplomacy to address maritime-security issues, we have made clear to Equatorial Guinea that certain potential steps involving [Chinese] activity there would raise national-security concerns,” a senior Biden administration official told the outlet.

Principal deputy U.S. national security adviser Jon Finer visited the country in October in an attempt to persuade President Teodoro Obiang Nguema Mbasogo and his son and heir apparent, the current vice president, to reject China’s proposed advancements.

Gen. Stephen Townsend, the commander of U.S. Africa Command , testified in front of the Senate in April that “the most significant threat” from China would be “a militarily useful naval facility on the Atlantic coast of Africa."

“By militarily useful, I mean something more than a place that they can make port calls and get gas and groceries,” he added. “I’m talking about a port where they can rearm with munitions and repair naval vessels.”

In an effort to convince Equatorial Guinean leaders not to provide China with a military base, the United States offered aid to the country last March following an apparently accidental ammunition exposition that killed at least 100 people and leveled an army base.

The same month, members of the Equatorial Guinean military participated in naval exercises with the U.S. in the Gulf of Guinea.

U.S. intelligence agencies have been aware of China’s efforts to obtain a base in the African nation since 2019. A Trump official visited the country in the final days of the administration.

China has “ likely considered ” a number of African nations for overseas bases, including Kenya, Seychelles, Tanzania, and Angola, according to the Defense Department’s "Military and Security Developments Involving the People’s Republic of China" report , which was released last month.

https://www.washingtonexaminer.com/r...atlantic-coast

Direct investment position of the United States in Africa from 2000 to 2020(in billion U.S. dollars, on a historical-cost basis)

The drop in investments occurred when Putin's lap dog tRump was squatted in the White House from 2016 to 2020, with a slight upward trend in 2020 probably as a result of giving tRump the boot, which is also higher compared to 2000 to 2008:

Direct investment position of the U.S. in Africa 2000-2020
Published by Statista Research Department, Aug 4, 2021
After a peak in 2014, foreign direct investment (FDI) in Africa from the United States dropped to 47.5 billion U.S. dollars in 2020. Africa receives lower FDI inflows than any other region.
What is FDI?
FDI is when investors from one country, in this case the United States, invest in firms that are based abroad. Often investors do this to earn higher returns due to a risk premium. They will seek markets where default risk is higher. If their investments mature, the returns are higher than they would be in a place with less risk.
Effects of FDI
The United States has higher FDI outflows than any other country, in large part because its economy is so large. In addition to seeking higher returns, some investors are interested in cultivating international relationships. This could be an effort to expand the consumer base, shore up supply chains, or for humanitarian or cultural reasons. For the receiving country, FDI means an increase in capital. For emerging markets, this can be critical. When the number of banks per country is low, capital access becomes difficult."
https://www.statista.com/statistics/...ca-since-2000/

[gemini104104]

Agreed.

I have NO IDEA why people are freaking out about Russia.
They are virtually no threat to America conventionally.

China is a MASSIVE threat to American hegemony.
They already have passed her in PPP.
https://www.globalfirepower.com/purc...wer-parity.php

Within 20-30 years (at the present rate)?
China will pass America's GDP per capita.
And when they do that?
It's over.

China will then be able to easily outbuild America militarily.

America MUST get her economy in gear...FAST.
And start to DIRECTLY challenge China militarily while she still has the edge.
Like on Taiwan, the Spratly Islands, etc..

Not so fast and your source is hogwash. Consider some facts versus your speculation:

WORLD ECONOMY
The U.S. will remain richer than China for the next 50 years or more, says economist

The U.S. will remain wealthier than China — measured by GDP per capita — for at least the next 50 years, said Simon Baptist, global chief economist at the Economist Intelligence Unit.
His comment followed Joe Biden’s first official press conference since taking office, during which the U.S. president said he will not let China become “the leading country” globally.
The latest available data by the International Monetary Fund showed China’s GDP per capita was forecast to be $10,582.10 last year, roughly six times smaller than $63,051.40 in the U.S."

https://www.cnbc.com/2021/03/26/us-w...-more-eiu.html

The End of China’s Rise
Beijing Is Running Out of Time to Remake the World

If China appears to be in a hurry, that’s because its rise is almost over, according to Michael Beckley and Hal Brands.

China’s multidecade ascent was aided by strong tailwinds that have now become headwinds. Its government is concealing a serious economic slowdown and sliding back into brittle totalitarianism. The country is suffering severe resource scarcity and faces the worst peacetime demographic collapse in history. Not least, China is losing access to the welcoming world that enabled its advance. Beijing threw tens of billions of dollars into biotech, yet its COVID-19 vaccines can’t compete with those produced in democratic countries, they write for Foreign Affairs."
https://www.demdigest.org/the-end-of-chinas-rise/

[Hawkeye10]

Not so fast and your source is hogwash. Consider some facts versus your speculation:

WORLD ECONOMY
The U.S. will remain richer than China for the next 50 years or more, says economist

The U.S. will remain wealthier than China — measured by GDP per capita — for at least the next 50 years, said Simon Baptist, global chief economist at the Economist Intelligence Unit.
His comment followed Joe Biden’s first official press conference since taking office, during which the U.S. president said he will not let China become “the leading country” globally.
The latest available data by the International Monetary Fund showed China’s GDP per capita was forecast to be $10,582.10 last year, roughly six times smaller than $63,051.40 in the U.S."

https://www.cnbc.com/2021/03/26/us-w...-more-eiu.html

The End of China’s Rise
Beijing Is Running Out of Time to Remake the World

If China appears to be in a hurry, that’s because its rise is almost over, according to Michael Beckley and Hal Brands.

China’s multidecade ascent was aided by strong tailwinds that have now become headwinds. Its government is concealing a serious economic slowdown and sliding back into brittle totalitarianism. The country is suffering severe resource scarcity and faces the worst peacetime demographic collapse in history. Not least, China is losing access to the welcoming world that enabled its advance. Beijing threw tens of billions of dollars into biotech, yet its COVID-19 vaccines can’t compete with those produced in democratic countries, they write for Foreign Affairs."
https://www.demdigest.org/the-end-of-chinas-rise/

Do you believe in the tooth fairy as well?

I mean just how far do you take this fantasy of yours?

[Hawkeye10]

China has us by the balls.

If you dont understand this then please do your very best to get better, we need you.


Steve