reedak
Well-Known Member
- Joined
- May 1, 2014
- Messages
- 752
1. WASHINGTON (Reuters) – The approach of the United States and Europe toward China is “increasingly convergent,” U.S. Deputy Secretary of State Wendy Sherman said on Friday, following meetings with the chief of the European Union’s diplomatic service.
U.S. President Joe Biden has stressed as a hallmark of his foreign policy the importance of working closely with allies in pushing back against what his administration sees as China’s increasingly assertive behavior worldwide....
Source: https://www.srnnews.com/u-s-and-eu-hail-convergent-stances-toward-china/
2. ....Mr. Trump tweeted about a suggestion by French President Emmanuel Macron that Europe build up its militaries because the continent can no longer depend on the U.S. for defense. Macron had also said Europe needs to protect itself against cyber threats from China, Russia and the U.S.
"Macron suggests building its own army to protect Europe against the U.S., China and Russia," Mr. Trump tweeted. "But it was Germany in World Wars One & Two - How did that work out for France? They were starting to learn German in Paris before the U.S. came along. Pay for NATO or not!"....
Source: https://www.cbsnews.com/news/donald...n-european-army-wine-tariffs-approval-rating/
3. The self-declared "Messiah" "huge mushroom head" ex-president had suggested that Europe must defend itself. The EU must be very upset to hear such a remark from the supposedly "Son of God" as though the Divine Being is leaving Europe to its fate.
In response, French President Macron told France's Europe 1 radio in an interview: "We have to protect ourselves, with respect to China, Russia and even the United States of America."
4. It must be noted that the latest US-EU Dialogue on China is held behind closed doors. Why so secretive? It is laughable that the US considers the dialogue on China to be a top priority despite reports of an increase in Russian troops on Ukraine’s border for weeks.
Despite America's claim to be the beacon of high-sounding moralism and values, it seems to be using the Ukrainian crisis to pressure the EU to choose sides in its geopolitical rivalry with China. Using an analogy, to a patient who complains about knee pain, the quack doctor proposes brain surgery instead.
As another analogy, a guy shouted desperately to his friend for help: "The devil is pushing the door to come inside. Help me to push the door against him. Quick!" However, his so-called friend replied: "Wait! Let me rush to the toilet to let out all my unwanted gases. I don't want it to become the talk of the town!"
America's move to force its European ally to take "convergent" stances toward China is reminiscent of an Aesop fable about "the travellers and the bear". Two friends met with a bear on the road. "Speedy Gonzales" managed to climb up a tree, while the slow guy threw himself on the ground to feign death.
After the bear’s departure, "Speedy Gonzales" came down the tree and asked his companion what the bear had whispered to him.
"Well, this is his advice," replied the other, "Never trust anyone who blackmails you or leaves you in the lurch in times of crisis."
5. To the US, Europe is a convenient buffer between it and Russia. However, there is no buffer between it and China. Hence it regards China as a greater threat than Russia. In the olden days, nothing could be a better buffer zone than a sea or an ocean. However, because of technological advances, seas and oceans have become "bridges” rather than "barriers" between countries. Hence, to the US, China is akin to a neighbor living across the road. To the EU, however, China is akin to a mysterious place far beyond a distant mountain.
In fact, for more than a hundred years before World War I, America and Europe were deadly enemies. The old animosities between them could be attested by the historical Monroe Doctrine. In a routine annual message delivered to Congress by President James Monroe in December 1823, the doctrine warns European nations that the US would not tolerate further colonization or puppet monarchs in the Western Hemisphere.
From 1803 until the issuance of the British Orders in Council of 1807, the British seized 528 American ships, while France seized 206 from 1803 until France issued the Berlin Decree in 1806. In England influential essayists pointed out the folly of allowing the US to supersede the former mother country in trade with the West Indies and Canada. At the same time, commanders of British warships patrolling the Atlantic, short of seamen in their own ships, pressed American merchant seamen into service.
Additional Reference:
https://carnegieeurope.eu/strategiceurope/66161
https://www.india.com/news/world/us...-problematic-actions-in-asia-pacific-5122596/
https://www.theguardian.com/world/2...us-in-new-cold-war-with-china-and-russia-poll
https://www.theguardian.com/world/2...ks-end-of-us-led-global-system-warns-eu-chief
https://ecfr.eu/publication/the_new_china_consensus_how_europe_is_growing_wary_of_beijing/
https://www.eppgroup.eu/newsroom/pu...ons-towards-a-fair-and-reciprocal-partnership
https://www.france24.com/en/europe/...sus-on-china-keeps-us-uk-relationship-special
https://www.dw.com/en/eu-and-us-similar-but-split-on-china-merkel-says/a-57009094
https://www.spiegel.de/international/world/a-1133177.html
https://www.republicworld.com/world...er-chinas-growing-actions-towards-taiwan.html
https://www.chinausfocus.com/foreign-policy/the-new-american-bipartisan-consensus-on-china-policy
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Monroe_Doctrine
https://www.varsitytutors.com/early...me-4/federalist-opposition-to-the-war-of-1812
https://www.fbi.gov/investigate/counterintelligence/the-china-threat
https://www.chinausfocus.com/foreign-policy/the-new-american-bipartisan-consensus-on-china-policy
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_United_States_military_bases
https://responsiblestatecraft.org/2...0-us-military-bases-remain-around-the-planet/
https://www.tni.org/en/article/us-bases-and-empire-global-perspectives-on-the-asia-pacific
https://aesopsfables.org/F49_The-Travelers-and-the-Bear.html
U.S. President Joe Biden has stressed as a hallmark of his foreign policy the importance of working closely with allies in pushing back against what his administration sees as China’s increasingly assertive behavior worldwide....
Source: https://www.srnnews.com/u-s-and-eu-hail-convergent-stances-toward-china/
2. ....Mr. Trump tweeted about a suggestion by French President Emmanuel Macron that Europe build up its militaries because the continent can no longer depend on the U.S. for defense. Macron had also said Europe needs to protect itself against cyber threats from China, Russia and the U.S.
"Macron suggests building its own army to protect Europe against the U.S., China and Russia," Mr. Trump tweeted. "But it was Germany in World Wars One & Two - How did that work out for France? They were starting to learn German in Paris before the U.S. came along. Pay for NATO or not!"....
Source: https://www.cbsnews.com/news/donald...n-european-army-wine-tariffs-approval-rating/
3. The self-declared "Messiah" "huge mushroom head" ex-president had suggested that Europe must defend itself. The EU must be very upset to hear such a remark from the supposedly "Son of God" as though the Divine Being is leaving Europe to its fate.
In response, French President Macron told France's Europe 1 radio in an interview: "We have to protect ourselves, with respect to China, Russia and even the United States of America."
4. It must be noted that the latest US-EU Dialogue on China is held behind closed doors. Why so secretive? It is laughable that the US considers the dialogue on China to be a top priority despite reports of an increase in Russian troops on Ukraine’s border for weeks.
Despite America's claim to be the beacon of high-sounding moralism and values, it seems to be using the Ukrainian crisis to pressure the EU to choose sides in its geopolitical rivalry with China. Using an analogy, to a patient who complains about knee pain, the quack doctor proposes brain surgery instead.
As another analogy, a guy shouted desperately to his friend for help: "The devil is pushing the door to come inside. Help me to push the door against him. Quick!" However, his so-called friend replied: "Wait! Let me rush to the toilet to let out all my unwanted gases. I don't want it to become the talk of the town!"
America's move to force its European ally to take "convergent" stances toward China is reminiscent of an Aesop fable about "the travellers and the bear". Two friends met with a bear on the road. "Speedy Gonzales" managed to climb up a tree, while the slow guy threw himself on the ground to feign death.
After the bear’s departure, "Speedy Gonzales" came down the tree and asked his companion what the bear had whispered to him.
"Well, this is his advice," replied the other, "Never trust anyone who blackmails you or leaves you in the lurch in times of crisis."
5. To the US, Europe is a convenient buffer between it and Russia. However, there is no buffer between it and China. Hence it regards China as a greater threat than Russia. In the olden days, nothing could be a better buffer zone than a sea or an ocean. However, because of technological advances, seas and oceans have become "bridges” rather than "barriers" between countries. Hence, to the US, China is akin to a neighbor living across the road. To the EU, however, China is akin to a mysterious place far beyond a distant mountain.
In fact, for more than a hundred years before World War I, America and Europe were deadly enemies. The old animosities between them could be attested by the historical Monroe Doctrine. In a routine annual message delivered to Congress by President James Monroe in December 1823, the doctrine warns European nations that the US would not tolerate further colonization or puppet monarchs in the Western Hemisphere.
From 1803 until the issuance of the British Orders in Council of 1807, the British seized 528 American ships, while France seized 206 from 1803 until France issued the Berlin Decree in 1806. In England influential essayists pointed out the folly of allowing the US to supersede the former mother country in trade with the West Indies and Canada. At the same time, commanders of British warships patrolling the Atlantic, short of seamen in their own ships, pressed American merchant seamen into service.
Additional Reference:
https://carnegieeurope.eu/strategiceurope/66161
https://www.india.com/news/world/us...-problematic-actions-in-asia-pacific-5122596/
https://www.theguardian.com/world/2...us-in-new-cold-war-with-china-and-russia-poll
https://www.theguardian.com/world/2...ks-end-of-us-led-global-system-warns-eu-chief
https://ecfr.eu/publication/the_new_china_consensus_how_europe_is_growing_wary_of_beijing/
https://www.eppgroup.eu/newsroom/pu...ons-towards-a-fair-and-reciprocal-partnership
https://www.france24.com/en/europe/...sus-on-china-keeps-us-uk-relationship-special
https://www.dw.com/en/eu-and-us-similar-but-split-on-china-merkel-says/a-57009094
https://www.spiegel.de/international/world/a-1133177.html
https://www.republicworld.com/world...er-chinas-growing-actions-towards-taiwan.html
https://www.chinausfocus.com/foreign-policy/the-new-american-bipartisan-consensus-on-china-policy
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Monroe_Doctrine
https://www.varsitytutors.com/early...me-4/federalist-opposition-to-the-war-of-1812
https://www.fbi.gov/investigate/counterintelligence/the-china-threat
https://www.chinausfocus.com/foreign-policy/the-new-american-bipartisan-consensus-on-china-policy
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_United_States_military_bases
https://responsiblestatecraft.org/2...0-us-military-bases-remain-around-the-planet/
https://www.tni.org/en/article/us-bases-and-empire-global-perspectives-on-the-asia-pacific
https://aesopsfables.org/F49_The-Travelers-and-the-Bear.html
