Geoff W. Sutton Blog: Chinese-Russian Partnership

The Powerful Ironclad Duo

It's Time for the US to Strengthen International Ties

Previously, I wrote about American strength and my concerns about areas of vulnerability.

The China-Russia friendship is Ironclad.

Today (7 March 2022), Newsweek reported on the China-Russia partnership in the context of the Russian invasion of Ukraine. There are quotes from Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi calling the relationship "Ironclad" stating that Russia is their "most important strategic partner."

Those of us in the US are privileged to live in a free and powerful nation but we shouldn't ignore vital relationships in view of China's growing economic and military power.

There are several analyses online regarding the growth of China's economy and it's potential to outstrip the US economy by 2030.

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China’s economy totaled $15.92 trillion in 2020, and market research firm IHS Markit estimates that it reached $18 trillion last year on export manufacturing growth and capital for new projects. The U.S. economy reached about $23 trillion last year, the market research firm said. (Jennings, 2022, VOA)

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China has the world's largest military at 2.1 million.

source: https://armedforces.eu/compare/country_USA_vs_China

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Thoughts

The Russian invasion of Ukraine is an opportunity via the allies to weaken Russia's economy and thereby its ability to wage ongoing and future aggressive actions.

A weakened Russia may have a slight impact on reducing China's ability to move aggressively against Taiwan or others.

We are stronger when we maintain strong relationships with allies holding similar values. My sense is that leaving NATO and insulting our allies risks being left alone against the military firepower of China-Russia and the growing economic power of China with its 1.4+ billion citizens.

We need to strengthen and expand NATO.

In my view, we need a stronger NATO and either a similar organization in the pacific-Asia region or an expansion to include our Asia-Pacific allies.*

Notes

We have 5 treaty alliances with Australia, Japan, Republic of Korea, Philippines, Thailand. We have trading relationships with other regional nations like New Zealand and Singapore.

We should not forget Africa and South America

About insulting our allies