What I am wondering is if China does invade Taiwan does it mean other nations will continue trading with China or how long will the finger wagging last?
The British-Chinese HK 99 year lease expired in 1997. The US nor Clinton had anything to do with that. The 50 year Sino-British Joint declaration on the handover of HK was clearly violated by China & the US could've done plenty to exert pressure with our British allies. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sino-...Joint Declaration,territory after 1 July 1997. The United Kingdom, United States, and G7 maintain that the Joint Declaration remains valid and in force.[93][94] The Foreign Office has labelled the Causeway Bay Books disappearances in 2015,[95] enactment of the Hong Kong national security law in 2020,[96] disqualification of opposition Legislative Council candidates in 2020,[97] and electoral reform in 2021 as serious breaches of the treaty.[98] Since 2021, the UK has considered China to be in a "state of ongoing non-compliance" with the Joint Declaration.[99]
I don't like the way the Germans are sitting this one out and not even providing arms and supplies to the Ukranians as many other countries are doing. They are being snakey and making sure that they do not fall out of the good graces of the russians and their gas supply. I am not saying that they should send troops. Just saying they are playing both ends and the middle on this and protecting their own little position rather than looking out for NATO or the EU. So while I could see the US leaning into helping European countries working together- not saying US troops- I don't want to do Germany's share of the dirty work for them. Putin has obviously already co-opted them with the various gas deals - enabled by Biden as well. The other ugly thing to consider, is that I do not want to see Americans in harms way with their being no leadership in DC- not from Biden/Kamala- nor from the military clowns-Austin, Milley, etc. - nor from the State Department clowns- long list there. Any American activities in those areas would likely lead to the troops just being humiliated, disgraced, and outright defeated with Biden and Milly and Austen coming to the podium and saying "we had no intelligence that the Russians would do this or that." Things that the average American presumes are highly probable or likely but a Biden beltway idiot could not foresee. Note that I did not say that things could not deteriorate to the point where I recognize the need to position American troops in the region- not Ukraine-because the ruskies are fucking around right next to our allies/nato countries so they may deserve extra protection during times of unrest. What I said was: "I do not want to see." We could end out having to do a lot of things I don't want to have to see. But I am not rooting for any of it. Vlad played this pipeline thing like a pro. Co-opted Germany. Points up on the board for him on that just from a strategic/tactical view.
people remember Donnie's bark but not his lack of bite. They'll revise history to say he was tough on foreign policy w/China but forget said sanctions were for his trade war & later dog whistling post-pandemic. He never gave a fuck about autocrats doing autocrat things. He applauded them in fact. He had to be dragged into complying for Russian sanctions & fairly certain he acknowledged Uighur shix like 2 yrs ago when they needed excuses for hitting China over COVID.
If only Biden had been as proactive in arming and giving supplies to the Ukraine as he was in arming the Taliban- THAT WOULD HAVE BEEN GREAT.