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PaperclipPerfector  3d ago (text post)   13505 thread views

Culture War Roundup for the week of January 19, 2026

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Nothing you've said changes that in practice, on the ground, Chinese cultural exports, political engagement and geopolitics don't work. I use the phrase "uncharismatic" but sub in "ineffective" or whatever you need. China has no allies, nobody likes what they produce, and nobody likes what they say. China got rich building things that were invented by westerners. Not by producing novel goods that everybody loves.

This is just kanging that gets produced in a terminally ill society that's running out of a things to boast of and so points to legacy and accumulated prestige. Nobody cares anymore for what the ingenious whites claim to have invented, sorry to say, that's a very boomer-coded thing in a very non-white and industrial world. This is the kind of thing that «everybody loves» in 2026.

Concretely, China gets from the EU, for starters:

  • 300 billion euro a year in pure trade surplus
  • technologies like Nexperia (the Dutch tried to take it back on, apparently, American orders, found out they have no leverage, folded, then there were very interesting hearings on Karremans), KUKA and Idra
  • engineers educated in top Western schools and companies, like Lin Nan, to accelerate their research.
  • growing FDI, one German plant closes in Germany – one opens in the Inner Mongolia
  • non-recognition of Taiwanese sovereignty, absence of any coordination to act against them if they mode
  • some amount of intelligence gathering
  • Macron and others shilling for JVs and more cooperation, up to breaking the semiconductor blockade, which means betraying an existential interest of their very scary and important suzerain.
  • Unwillingness/inability of Europe to do anything against them, even as they supply advanced military technology like laser point defense systems to Russia, for testing and geopolitical hijinks.

What China does not get: military bases in Europe, even though the US (still has bases in Europe) has been rude lately while they're nice and only formally Communists, anything about "alliance".

I think they're fine with this trade.

You agreed the world would cut ties with China and back the USA.

I guess I need to make it clearer for you. I said that the world will do nothing substantial, nothing beyond symbolic handwringing, unless China actually loses the war. It'll be treated by Europe (nevermind Russia, Africa, India, LatAm, Middle East…) about as seriously as the Israeli war/genocide, or less than that: condemnations + weapons contracts.

Mind you, it's if there is any war, which there likely won't be as the US will retreat and Taiwan just fold.

You got embarrassed because your foundational premise was wrong. Next time, just say "lol my bad. I still think Americans exhibit this behaviour"

It's not my foundational premise that you're an American. My "foundational premise" is that your beliefs are representative of Americans and I think they're wrong.

and I wouldn't even have engaged

I didn't mind you engaging initially, I thought you might go beyond "uncreative bugmen low EQ" cope mixed with geopolitical concern trolling.

Nah, I know you have a rep as some kind of Good Poster Emeritus, but all I've ever seen you post is Chinese propaganda. Like literally nothing else. This guy snipped your balls.

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